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The Indian men’s senior team is set to return to action, with the crucial FIFA World Cup Qualifiers 2026 just a fortnight away. The Blue Tigers will first face Kuwait in a potential do-or-die clash on June 6 before concluding their campaign against Qatar on June 11.
Igor Stimac initially announced a 32-man squad for the four-week training camp in Bhubaneswar, which began in the second week of May. He has now narrowed it down to 27 players, who will continue to train in Odisha for another week before traveling to Kolkata.
Sunil Chhetri announcing his decision to retire after the game against Kuwait certainly grabbed headlines last week. Consequently, the players will have extra motivation to perform, in addition to the history at stake, as India have never qualified for the third round of the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers.
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Stimac has included two I-League players, David Lalhlansanga and Edmund Lalrindika, who have had stellar seasons in India’s second tier, but there has been few surprising omissions.
Here are two players who certainly deserved to travel with the squad but were not picked by the head coach.
#1 Phurba Lachenpa
The omission of the ISL Golden Glove winner is certainly shocking, given his stellar form in the second half of the season for Mumbai City FC. While Stimac has clearly established Gurpreet Singh Sandhu and Amrinder Singh as his top two choices for keepers, selecting Vishal Kaith over Lachenpa will certainly raise eyebrows.
Lachenpa kept nine clean sheets for his club, with his crucial saves helping Mumbai City FC win the ISL Cup. Additionally, his composure in goal, calmness, and ability to play out from the back are valuable assets that make him an excellent addition to the national setup.
The 26-year-old also had the third-best save percentage among ISL keepers (72.4%), with only Amrinder Singh and Debjit Majumder recording higher percentages.
He has consistently shown his ability to step up when the team requires him, which is especially impressive given that Mumbai City FC don’t tend to face many shots.
#2 Parthib Gogoi
With the news of Sunil Chhetri’s retirement, several questions arose about who would potentially lead the line, not only against Qatar, but in the future. Stimac has tried the likes of Manvir Singh and Rahim Ali, but it certainly hasn’t worked.
With very few players playing as central strikers for ISL clubs, Parthib Gogoi was one of those who consistently played in the middle of the park for NorthEast United, and it worked brilliantly. He didn’t act solely as a No. 9, but was rather was given the freedom to drift wider to both flanks, which suited his strengths.
Parthib’s numbers speak for themselves. He was the third-highest Indian goalscorer in the league, with only Lallianzuala Chhangte and Vikram Pratap Singh scoring more. His nine goal contributions (five goals and four assists) were the highest among NorthEast United players, despite him missing a few games this season.
Given the lack of options available and the need to develop a new center-forward in Chhetri’s absence, the 21-year-old could have been tried out, considering the quality of football he’s playing at the moment.
