'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
FIFA national team eligibility rules state that a player must either be a citizen of the country, born in a country or, have biological ties to the country to represent the team. So, if a player is playing in the Premier League, but was born in India or, one of his parents, grandparents, or great-grandparents were Indian, he could represent India.
However, the government of India prevents them from turning up for the Indian national team. According to them, you must have an Indian passport to represent the country. Arata Izumi and Sunny Dhaliwal were only allowed to represent the Tricolor once they changed their nationality.
One ought to note that there is an exception to this rule. The players who have already represented their nation in official competitions like FIFA World Cup Qualifiers or Continental Championships like AFC Asian Cup, African Cup of Nations, or COPA America and their qualifiers are forbidden to represent another country.
Trending
As a result, players like Harmeet Singh, Luciano Narsingh (both Netherlands), Neil Taylor (Wales), and Rhys Williams (Australia) are ineligible to represent India.
We, at Sportskeeda, have compiled a playing XI that could have represented India in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup only taking the FIFA Eligibility rules into account.
If the government amends the rules and allows players of Indian-origin to represent the nation, some of these players could be in our playing XI.
#1 Goalkeeper - Karman Saini
Karman Saini is an Indian-origin Canadian who currently plies his trade for Swedish fourth-division side Husqvarna FF. The 22-year-old is studying sports management in Canada besides pursuing a career in football.
The Indian team doesn't have a dearth of talent in the goalkeeping department. Gurpreet Singh Sandhu himself has played in the UEFA Europa League Qualifiers for Norweigan top-division club Stabaek.
Moreover, the level of ISL is way more rigorous than the Swedish fourth division. Even if Karman Saini had shown an interest to represent India, he has to toil hard to make it to the national team.
#2 Left Back - Dylan Lall
Dylan Lall represented the youth teams of Brighton and Hove Albion in various tournaments like the FA Youth Cup. The 22-year-old, in an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda, had mentioned that it would be an honour and privilege to represent India but added that he hasn't given the thought of surrendering his British passport.
Both his grandparents' roots belong to India, which makes him eligible to represent the country according to FIFA rules.
#3 Centre-Back - Netan Sansara
Netan Sansara embarked his footballing career with League One side Walsall in 2008 and represented the youth teams of England thrice. Since then, the 1.84m tall centre-back has plied his trade in various clubs in Scotland, Norway, and Denmark.
Netan is currently with Swedish third-division side Gefle IF, where he has made 23 appearances and scored one goal. His father's, as well as his mother's, parents are from India which makes him eligible to represent India.
The 29-year-old had got an offer from an agent to join the national team for a camp in Qatar, but he refused, citing a busy schedule. However, he mentioned that he was ready to surrender his British passport if he thinks it is a right move to represent India.
#4 Centre-Back - Danny Batth
Danny Batth's father is from Punjab which makes him eligible to represent India. The 28-year-old is currently playing for English Championship side Middlesbrough on loan from Wolverhampton.
Batth had spoken to manager Stephen Constantine on the sidelines of a FIFA World Cup Qualifiers preparatory camp in Mumbai previously. The then Sports Minister Vijay Goel also held talks with the former Wolverhampton captain so that he could represent India. However, the negotiations broke down and Batth returned empty-handed.
#5 Right Back - Malvind Benning
Malvind Benning currently plays for League Two club Mansfield Town where he has scored 6 goals in 90 appearances despite being a defender since 2015. Stephen Constantine is well aware of the Indian roots of the 25-year-old, but strict government rules for citizenship means he will be unable to represent India.
#6 Midfielder- Aman Verma
Aman Verma currently plies his trade for English seventh-division side Tamworth as a midfielder. The 31-year-old came through the youth setup of Leicester City and even signed a contract with them. However, he remained an unused substitute and couldn't break into the first team.
#7 Midfielder- Aryn Williams
Aryn Williams was the most interested from the lot to represent India. The 25-year-old central defensive midfielder played in the A-League for Perth Glory, where he made 22 appearances. His elder brother Rhys Williams has represented Australia 14 times and currently plays for Saudi Arabian club Al-Qadsiah.
Aryn's mother hails from Mumbai, which makes him eligible to represent India as per FIFA rules. Last season, he was instrumental in guiding NEROCA to a second-place finish above East Bengal and Mohun Bagan, and only three points behind the champions Minerva Punjab.
He would need less time to acclimatise to the national team setup as he has already played in India.
#8 Midfielder- Joshua Pynadath
Joshua Pynadath is a 16-year-old left winger who can also play in the central attacking midfield and right wing position. The American of Indian-origin currently plays for the U-17 side of Ajax in the U-17 Eredivisie. Moreover, he also has a goal to his name from 8 appearances.
#9 Left Winger - Yan Dhanda
Spotted by Chelsea in their ‘Search for the next Asian Star’ tournament, Yan Dhanda was eventually roped in by West Bromwich Albion. Following that, he switched his loyalty to Liverpool where he represented their U-18 and U-23 team. In July 2018, the 19-year-old made the shift to English Championship side Swansea City as he couldn't break into the senior team of Liverpool.
#10 Central Striker - Rajiv van la Parra
Rajiv van la Parra is named after former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and, his grandfather was an Indian. The striker helped his side gain promotion to the Premier League, playing the full 120 minutes of the playoff final against Reading.
The 27-year-old has also represented the U-17, U-18, U-19, and U-21 teams of Netherlands a total of 36 times, scoring once.
#11 Right Winger - Furdjel Narsingh
Brother of Luciano Narsingh, the 30-year-old Furdjel Narsingh currently plays for Eredivisie club De Graafschap. This season, he has made 13 appearances for the club and has scored once.
The Narsingh brothers' grandparents were immigrant workers from Andhra Pradesh who shifted to Suriname and then to the Netherlands. His younger brother, Luciano, has already represented the Dutch in the FIFA World Cup and the UEFA Euro Qualifiers, rendering him ineligible to represent India according to the FIFA rules. But, Furdjel can still wear the Indian national team jersey.
