Sahal Abdul Samad still training alone; in doubt for India's AFC Asian Cup 2023 clash against Uzbekistan

For the Indian men's national team and the supporters who were eager to witness Sahal Abdul Samad orchestrate the team's midfield in the AFC Asian Cup 2023, the hope might have faced a roadblock.

The former Kerala Blasters FC midfielder has yet to completely recover from the injury he suffered over a month back and according to a RevSportz report, he is even in doubt to feature against Uzbekistan in the second group-stage clash. Sahal trained alone on Sunday, a day after India's 2-0 loss to Australia.

Furthermore, the 26-year-old participated in the team's one-on-one training sessions but didn't face any defenders. The report cited a particular incident where during the training session, the Mohun Bagan SG player took a loose touch, and the onrushing goalkeeper, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, was alerted by Trevor Sinclair to be “careful”.

The caution is unsurprising as Sahal has for long been considered by head coach Igor Stimac as a pivotal part of the national team setup. Any aggravation to his pre-existing injury could see him miss the upcoming World Cup qualifier clash against Afghanistan in March.

As things stand, the Uzbekistan outing might come a little too quickly for Samad. However, there's still a faint hope of seeing him don the Indian blues against Syria in the final AFC Asian Cup 2023 group-stage clash.

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Sahal Abdul Samad enjoyed a purple patch before injury

Since moving to Mohun Bagan SG in the summer of 2023, Sahal Abdul Samad's footballing skillset underwent a renovation.

After a few muted performances in the Durand Cup, he showed a spark of brilliance with his goal against fellow ISL club Odisha FC in the AFC Cup. He built on that momentum with an assist against Punjab FC, and then a brace of assists against Chennaiyin FC.

Against Maziya in the AFC Cup, Sahal was once again on the money, providing the assist for Jason Cumming's winner in the 92nd minute. In comparison to his spell at Kerala Blasters, the 26-year-old has seemed like a more complete product.

The midfielder soon became an integral part of Mohun Bagan's attacking unit but a rash challenge by Ahmed Jahouh of Odisha FC, in a match in December last year, sidelined him with an ankle sprain, which he is still recovering from.