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Problem of plenty for Jamil after strong CAFA show
The performance of new players should give competition to the seven from Mohun Bagan who were not released for the tournament
Kolkata: “The football may not be good but there have been some good results.” This was a former India head coach reacting to the podium finish in the CAFA Nations Cup. The coach did not want to be named but it was an accurate summation of India’s campaign, pugnacious and pragmatic, in Tajikistan which ended with a come-from-behind win against Oman who are in contention for a 2026 World Cup berth.
Without 10 regulars including Subhasish Bose and Akash Mishra, who were recovering from injury, India gave their new head coach a dream start. In an eight-team tournament where they were the second lowest-ranked team, India finished third with two wins, one defeat and a draw. In three of their four matches, India played opponents higher in the FIFA ladder.
Ranked 133, India bookended their run with wins against Tajikistan (ranked 106) and Oman (79) with a defeat to Iran and a draw against Afghanistan in between.
Jamil has brought what worked for him in getting mid-table clubs to punch above their weight: stirring defensive displays. India had 27% possession against Oman and the highest they logged on that metric was 40% against Afghanistan. Soaking up pressure and being physical will be the new normal and India did that well; Iran had 14 corner-kicks but threatened with none. India will go long, look for crosses and be efficient at set-plays. That all three goals came from long throws is very Jamil.
Reviving the 2027 Asian Cup qualifying campaign will be a different challenge – India are at the bottom of the four-team huddle – but this should be the dose of confidence the team, looking for their first competitive win since November 2023, needed. “We have bigger agendas ahead. We want to make sure we end up in 2027 in Saudi Arabia,” Gurpreet Singh Sandhu had told HT before the CAFA Nations Cup.
The performance in Tajikistan can also give Jamil, 48, a selection headache. Mohun Bagan Super Giant had refused to release seven players for the CAFA Nations Cup, where India and Oman were invited teams, because it had started before the international window. So, Anirudh Thapa, Deepak Tangri, Lalengmawia ‘Apuia’ Ralte, Liston Colaco, Manvir Singh, Sahal Abdul Samad and Vishal Kaith did not travel. Unless they are injured, they should be available for the double-header against Singapore on October 9 and October 14.
Mohun Bagan have not played since losing the Durand Cup quarter-final to East Bengal on August 17. Which could put Tangri, not a regular starter at the club, behind Danish Farooq, Jeakson Singh, Suresh Wangjam and Nikhil Prabhu in the pecking order of ball-winning midfielders. Farooq ran his legs off against Oman and it was his flicked header that Udanta Singh headed in. Being an all-round midfielder, of the kind India lacked in Tajikistan, though puts Ralte at an advantage.
Comfortable on the ball, Mahesh Naroem has shown he can adapt to a central role in midfield. Which could make it difficult for Thapa. India missed Colaco’s deliveries, free-kicks and ball-carrying abilities. That said, Jithin MS is fast adjusting to life as an international – the calm with which he converted his penalty was proof – and can provide competition as left-side forwards along with Ashqiue Kuruniyan.
Like Colaco, Lallianzuala Chhangte can get into good scoring positions. Unlike Colaco, Chhangte has had four games to get used to Jamil’s ideas. Udanta did not get much game time but his third international goal, swooping ahead of his marker to score, calls for exactly that. Which could mean Samad having to fight for his place.
Ditto Kaith. The Mohun Bagan goalie’s form was patchy in March and June and with Sandhu making a superb comeback, the No.1 spot looks taken. If Amrinder Singh is No. 2, nothing stops Jamil from keeping young goalie Hrithik Tiwari as No.3. Like Jithin, Muhammad Uvais has acquainted himself well as an international. A left-back capable of long throws, he should, along with Roshan Naorem, make Bose fight for his place.
Irfan Yadwad and Vikram Partap Singh were industrious, the former using his size well to break moves and defend corner-kicks but their lack of creativity and absence of composure in attack could get Jamil to look at Mohun Bagan’s Manvir Singh’s experience. India have not scored from open play in their last seven matches and will need to be more efficient because they will have so little of the ball. Explains why, if fit, Sunil Chhetri, 41, would be a shoo-in.
Conversely, this means Jamil could be looking at a problem of plenty. For a country with a small players’ pool that is certainly not something to grumble about. It will also be an incentive for Mohun Bagan players to shine in the two matches of the Asian Champions League 2 this month. And that cannot be a bad thing for club and country.
