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The Indian football team led by the charismatic Sunil Chhetri has enjoyed a sailing start to the Hero Intercontinental Cup 2018. The Blue Tigers registered a successful 5-0 drubbing against opponents Chinese Taipei in the opener to cap off the tournament in style. Stephen Constantine’s men then followed it up with another sublime victory, defeating African rivals Kenya 3-0 to top the points table with six points from two games.
Skipper Sunil Chhetri hogged the limelight in both the fixtures. The 33-year-old grabbed a hattrick against Chinese Taipei and then added two more two his name in his 100th appearance for the national side. In the process, the talismanic striker notched up his 61st international goal, putting him just 3 goals behind top scorer Lionel Messi, who has 64 goals for Argentina. And, with India set to face the Kiwis in their last group stage fixture on Thursday, Chhetri will be aiming to level the record.
Although the tournament has been all about the Indian captain, the performance of the rest of the team as a unit can’t go unnoticed. The players have shown great character on the pitch, with the defenders especially combining well to help keep a clean sheet in both the matches. The midfield has been exceptionally dynamic, changing the focus of attack subtly as and when required.
Cumulatively, it has been a strong performance and will give the team a major boost in their preparations for the AFC Cup, set to be held next year in Doha.
In this article, we take a look at five such players apart from the skipper, whose contribution has been incredibly imperative to the team in the ongoing Intercontinental Cup.
#1 Sandesh Jhingan
The Kerala Blasters' defender formed a solid partnership at the back with Anas and has looked a formidable force thus far. The centre-back was tactically very sound against Taipei, denying them any opening in the final third.
Jhingan enjoyed a marvellous game against Kenya as well and was presented with the hero of the match award. He made sure the Kenyan forwards had no breathing space with his expert marking.
#2 Subhashish Bose
Defender Subhashish Bose, who has played just two matches in the Indian jersey, looked in good shape in the tournament. Also, playing alongside the likes of Jhingan and Anas has provided a good learning curve for Bose.
Though 22-year-old is yet to give his stand-out performance, he has contributed the team’s cause in both the matches. The youngster showed strong nerves on a couple of occasions and never lost his composure in defence.
The Bengaluru FC defender has looked promising so far and will be keen to keep giving his best in an attempt to consolidate his place in the squad, going ahead.
Udanta Singh
The lanky dynamic winger has been an asset to the Indian squad. Coupled with his sudden burst of pace and nifty footwork, Singh’s tendency to take on defenders can cause a serious threat to the opponents.
The speedster was involved in all things good for India throughout the game against Taipei. He even managed to get himself a superb solo goal after creating a plethora of chances for the forwards.
However, he failed to be his usual dynamic self against Kenya, but that could be blamed on the wet conditions of the pitch that hindered his gameplay.
#4 Pronay Halder
The young midfielder has been one of the biggest revelations in the Blues squad. Halder put up a strong and an overall performance in both the fixtures. He enjoyed a good first game and scored a beautiful goal and was instrumental in midfield.
Halder then continued with the good form he showed in the previous match. Once again, sitting deep in the midfield and controlling the tempo of the game, his contributions came in extremely clinical in India’s second win of the tournament.
He also nearly scored against the African rivals, only to be denied by a stunning save by the Kenyan shot-stopper.
#5 Jeje Lalpekhlua
Jeje’s experience up top came in really handy for the Indian team with his impeccable positioning and finishing as he kept the defenders guessing most of the times. In the first match, he provided a couple of assists to help Chhetri complete his hattrick. Jeje was a key figure in the Indian attack, taking some good turns and pairing up with his captain to cause havoc time and again.
In the second match, the 'Mizo Sniper' did what he does best and scored a magnificent goal for the Blue Tigers. He posed a serious threat to the Kenyan defence for almost the entirety of the match.
