Intercontinental Cup 2018: 5 Things India gained from the Intercontinental Cup 

#1 Anirudh Thapa and Pronoy Halder: A breath of fresh air, in an otherwise stale central midfield

Pronoy Halder after scoring in the first game.

As the Intercontinental Cup neared its inception, pundits and critics alike all got into the game of predicting how India would line up in the tournament, one thing that almost all of them predicted was that India would continue to field the duo of Rowlin Borges and Md. Rafique in midfield, and that in itself spelled doom for the team, at least in the minds of the fans, who have been frustrated at the duo (Rowlin and Rafique), for not performing up to their potential in recent games.

What the nation witnessed in the inaugural game, was that India lined up with a new central midfield partnership, one that saw the young and agile Anirudh Thapa, someone who is rated highly in the upper echelons of Indian football, partner Pronoy Halder who was making a comeback into the national team after a long injury layoff. The partnership worked wonders right from the word go, as Pronoy acted as the perfect defensive screen in midfield, something that is vital to Stephen’s plans, and Anirudh acting as the box to box midfielder, who also donned the hat of playmaker at times.

While the fans have been screaming for Thapa’s inclusion into the team for a long time now, there was an air of doubt regarding Pronoy's selection.

There were many questions asked as to why Pronoy Halder, was included into the squad given that he had just returned from an injury layoff, but Pronoy answered all his critics in style as he curled one in from 25 yards out that too from an acute angle, in the first game to silence all his critics. Pronoy’s big physical presence in the middle of the park was a big boost for India, which helped them overcome physical teams like Kenya not once but twice.

The Fans and critics have a smile on their faces as the new midfield pairing is showing a lot of promise, especially as the Asian Cup is just around the corner.

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