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The Indian National Football Team has been making waves of progress, which has been clearly seen by the rise in FIFA rankings.
After a tediously long qualification process(in which the national team played close to 16 matches in the past two and a half years), the blue tigers qualified for the continental cup, to be held in the UAE in 2019.
In this period, a lot has changed in the team. Around thirty young players were handed their debuts by coach Constantine.
Former mainstays like Balwant Singh made a comeback. The leadership also changed hands with Sunil Chhetri, Gurpreet Sandhu and Sandesh Jhingan donning the armband.
So as the football fans gossip all about the main players and how important they are to the team's cause, here is a segment about five unsung stars who were excluded from the recently announced squad.
They have made a strong case for themselves in the recently concluded season, and one would love to see them donning the blue jersey in the UAE:
#5 Deependra Singh Negi (Kerala Blasters)
Though all of 19 years, Deependra Negi is a surprise pick in this list. Neither has he played much in the ISL nor is he physically too built.
But prior to his ISL debut, Negi had made a name for himself at the junior levels and had represented India U-16. His noteworthy performances had also earned him a small stint in Europe.
So what is it that is special in him? He had a fantastic ISL debut, where he won the game for the Kerala Blasters. He was lethal in set-piece situations, was freely able to dribble through the heart of the opposition, and had good passing.
His ability to backtrack and play defensively was also encouraging. This type of player can be really useful against the likes of UAE and Bahrain, whose teams have well-built but slightly slow midfielders and defenders.
His pace on the wings and his dribbling skills could prove to be a handful against the West Asian nations. He has a decent height, and could possibly be used as a substitute option to bring pace into a game.
#4 Michael Soosairaj( Jamshedpur FC)
While the ISL hogged most of the attention during the 2017/18 Indian football season, Michael Soosairaj inspired little Chennai City FC to stave off relegation in the I-league.
His season tally of three goals and four assists was one of the highlights of this year's I-league, as his performances helped Chennai City FC beat the likes of Mohun Bagan and Minerva Punjab to stay in the I-league.
His performances as an attacking midfielder helped him earn a contract with ISL side Jamshedpur FC, thus giving him a larger platform to showcase his skill next season.
Though Soosairaj's performance bettered as the season progressed, his ability to score and assist in vital parts of a game proved to be the turning points of Chennai City's season.
This is the type of player a manager would love to have in cup competitions. With Mohammed Rafique having a torrid season with East Bengal, it would bode well for the national team if a player of Soosairaj's caliber is given the opportunity, so as to bring some fresh young talent into the team.
Just like Rafique, Soosairaj could be used as an attacking substitution in case goals are needed in later parts of a game, thus increasing the coach's options.
#3 Mandar Rao Dessai (FC Goa)
Mandar Rao Dessai is a name synonymous with Goan and Indian football. He has been in and around the domestic setup for years, but has struggled to find a place in the national team in spite of consistent performances.
His dribbling and crossing are of high quality, and his goal-scoring ability is an asset to any team.
He can play both as a left winger and a right winger, thus offering a perfect replacement to the under-performing Jackichand Singh or Holicharan Nazary.
He has a good physique, and can thus compete with the fullbacks of the West Asian nations at the continental event. He is agile on the wings, and his league performances are deserving of a national call-up.
#2 Lallianzuala Chhangte( Delhi Dynamos FC)
While Delhi Dynamos had a below-par season, there were many shining lights in their campaign under Miguel Angel Portugal.
Chhangte was clearly one of them. Most people remember his burst of pace and skill as an 18-year-old for India against Nepal in the 2015 SAFF cup, where he scored a brace.
So the talent and skill are there for everyone to see. But this time around, he played with a sense of maturity and responsibility, as he was one of the senior Indian players in the Dynamos squad.
He showcased a blend of speed, skill, dynamism, and repaid the faith put in him by the management.
Predominantly a winger, Chhangte can also play in a central attacking midfielder's role. His dribbling and finishing are excellent.
Therefore, he would make a good addition to the team as it would ease the burden of goal-scoring, that currently is handled by Sunil Chhetri and Jeje Lalpekhlua.
His exclusion from the squad came as a shock for many who believe that he is among the future stars of Indian football.
#1 Rahul Bheke (Bengaluru FC)
When Rahul Bheke's name did not feature in the recently announced squad, football fans and pundits were equally shocked. For, unlike his previous seasons, this season, Bheke had made fewer mistakes, and had improved his passing abilities.
His versatile nature was seen as he was equally comfortable playing as a center-back, left back or right back.
His long throw-ins are a danger in any opposition's box. He also scored a few header goals, thus showing all the skills expected of a quality defender.
With Anas Edathodika, Sandesh Jhingan and Pritam Kotal not having the best of seasons this time around, Bheke could have been an ideal backup option or replacement for any of the three above-mentioned players.
His time at Bengaluru FC has had a big impact on his career, as he played with national team mainstays Sunil, Gurpreet and Udanta, thus adding on to the chemistry in the playing eleven. All these reasons point to one question: Why was he overlooked?
