3 players who can replace suspended Sandesh Jhingan in India's SAFF Championship semi-final vs Lebanon

India received a heavy blow ahead of their SAFF Championship semi-final clash against Lebanon when Sandesh Jhingan received his second yellow card of the tournament during the final group-stage match versus Kuwait. The booking meant the ever-reliant center-back would be suspended for the crucial clash on Saturday.

There's a reason why Jhingan is one of the most valued defensive options in the country - because there's none like him. With his experience and hunger to rush into duels, the 29-year-old has established himself as a mainstay in India's backline.

Head coach Igor Stimac has for a while experimented with Anwar Ali and Jhingan as his first-choice center-back pairing.

With the Chandigarh-born out of contention to start, it will be a difficult task for the Croatian gaffer to pick his backline for the semi-final encounter.

Here are three players that Stimac can look at to replace Jhingan and pair alongside Anwar Ali in the starting lineup:

---

#1 Rahul Bheke

The veteran defender previously slotted into the center-back role for the national team in the group-stage clash against Nepal. He was one of the standout performers in the game, winning 100 percent of the duels he went into. Against Lebanon, India will need a dominant figure in the backline.

Rahul Bheke, having played in a possession-based side like Mumbai City FC, also has the ability to spray passes from the back and create counter-play.

During his only appearance in this edition of the SAFF tournament, he completed 82.8 percent of his passes. His partnership with Anwar Ali could give a balanced pairing to the Blue Tigers.

---

#2 Mehtab Singh

Bheke's club teammate Mehtab Singh also made a start against Nepal. He was in tremendous form throughout the ISL 2022-23 season, leading Mumbai to another League Shield victory. He also made his debut for the Blue Tigers in March this year and has shown early signs of replicating his club form in national colors.

Against Nepal, he looked composed on the ball, however, lacked the decisiveness going into duels.

Depending on what Igor Stimac and Mahesh Gawli prefer, they will either opt for a more solid option to partner Anwar or an equally potent ball player to elevate their build-up from the back.

---

#3 Pritam Kotal

The 29-year-old hasn't featured regularly in the Indian starting lineup in this international window. However, Pritam Kotal's pedigree is never to be doubted. He led ATK Mohun Bagan (now called Mohun Bagan Super Giants) to the ISL 2022-23 title.

He is a top competitor and will enjoy the challenge of negating Lebanon's pacy attackers, especially Hassan Maatouk.

However, it remains to be seen if he does get a shot ahead of either Bheke or Mehtab.