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The twelfth edition of South Asia's premier football tournament - the 2018 SAFF Championship will run from September 4-15 at the Bangabandhu stadium, Dhaka. Seven team including the hosts Bangladesh will be vying for South Asian glory which was last won by Team India in January 2016.
The seven-time winners, India, will once again start as the tournament favourites as the form and history favour them. They are clubbed alongside former champions, Sri Lanka and Maldives in Group B and will begin their campaign on September 5.
The Indian team comprises of Under 23 players and even several stars who played the 2017 FIFA Under 17 World Cup. It will be interesting to see how these youngsters make use of this golden opportunity to impress coach Stephen Constantine in the absence of several top players. It will be a great learning curve and a 'dream come true' moment for many of these players when they don the famous Blue jersey to conquer South Asia.
Here are 4 players who will be crucial to Team India's success
1) Lallianzuala Chhangte
Chhangte rose to prominence during the 2015 SAFF Championship held at the Greenfield stadium in Thiruvananthapuram. The Mizoram lad made his Team India debut against Sri Lanka in that tournament, which the Blue Tigers won eventually. Chhangte was impressive in his second International game against Nepal, scoring two astonishing goals in India's 4-1 win over their neighbours and thereby becoming the nation's third youngest goal-scorer (18 years 140 days). The 21-year-old has so far represented India in four matches, with two goals to his name.
An impressive midfielder, Chhangte has played for two Indian Super League clubs - the NorthEast United and Delhi Dynamos apart from his stint with the DSK Shivajians. He had a decent run with the Delhi Dynamos in the 2017-18 ISL, netting three goals, providing three assists and possessing a pass percentage of 57.58.
Hailed as the next big thing in Indian Football, the winger has excellent dribbling skills, first touch and free-flowing style of play. Chhangte's presence in the midfield will undoubtedly be the key for Team India's success at the SAFF Championship.
2) Subhasish Bose
Bose, who started his youth career at Pune FC, represented Sporting Goa and Mohun Bagan before joining Bengaluru FC last season. The left wing back was pivotal in Bengaluru FC's runner-up finish in the 2017-18 Hero ISL season. His exploits for Chhetri's men earned him a national call-up during the 2018 Intercontinental Cup held at Mumbai's Andheri Sports Complex.
Eventually, he made his debut in India's 5-0 win over the Chinese Taipei side. He started in all four matches for Team India and helped them claim the title in style, defeating Kenya 2-0 in the finals.
The Kolkata-born defender will don the Mumbai City FC jersey this season as he penned a two-year deal with the Mumbai outfit this June. With several star defenders not in the squad, the onus will be on the talented Bose to form a rock-solid defense at the back for Team India. The 23-year-old has all the credentials to excel at the SAFF Championship for the Blue Tigers.
3) Vishal Kaith
Kaith, who was a part of the AIFF Elite Academy from 2011-2014, started his senior career with Shillong Lajong. He kept seven clean sheets in 33 matches during his stint with the Meghalayan club and subsequently moved to FC Pune City on loan in 2016.
Unfortunately, he did not don the Pune jersey for the entire third season of the ISL. The former Indian Under 19 player made 17 appearances for FC Pune City last season in which he kept seven clean sheets and was instrumental in his side's first ever ISL knockout appearance (having finished fourth in the league standings).
Though he was called up for India's 1-2 defeat against the Kyrgyz Republic in June 2018 (2019 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers), he was benched in that game. With regular keeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu not in the squad for the 2018 SAFF Championship, Vishal Kaith's role between the sticks will be very crucial for the Blue Tigers. The 22-year-old shot-stopper is all set to make his debut for Team India this September and it is a reward for his performance in the last season's ISL.
4) Anirudh Thapa
The central midfielder who was a part of the AIFF Elite Academy from 2012-2016, was signed by the ISL outfit Chennaiyin FC in 2016. Though he made just one appearance for Chennaiyin in that season, he had a decent outing in the I-league with Minerva Punjab. His role at the heart of the Chennaiyin midfield was crucial in their title run at the 2017-18 ISL, ending the season with two goals in 17 appearances.
He scored the all-important away goal for Chennai in the first-leg of the semi-finals against FC Goa at Fatorda. Eventually, he won the 2017-18 ISL title with Chennaiyin FC against Bengaluru FC at Sree Kanteerava Stadium in March 2018. Thapa, who made his International debut in India's 1-1 draw against Saint Kitts and Nevis in August 2017, has so far represented the Blue Tigers in seven matches, with two assists to his name.
The pacy Dehradun born midfielder will be trying to replicate his ISL success to help India retain their South Asian crown.
