3 players who can tuck into Sunil Chhetri's role for India in King's Cup 2023

The Indian men's national team will kick off their King's Cup 2023 sojourn with a high-intensity semifinal clash against Iraq at the 700th Anniversary Stadium in Thailand on Thursday.

The Blue Tigers will face a stern test already, clashing against the 70th-ranked team, but head coach Igor Stimac's task has been further perplexed by the absence of national team skipper Sunil Chhetri.

The 39-year-old requested to be excluded from the country's squad for the competition and be with his family after the birth of his first child.

While stepping into Chhetri's boots is a superhuman task, for the hopefuls, this presents an incredible opportunity to cherish a consistent run of games in the national team setup.

For Stimac, it's also an opportunity to gauge where his attacking unit stands without the presence of the talismanic forward.

On that note, let's take a look at three players who can slot into Sunil Chhetri's position for the national team in the King's Cup:

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#1 Rahim Ali

In Sunil Chhetri's absence, Rahim Ali is the most natural replacement for the veteran forward in Igor Stimac's setup. The 23-year-old has long been lauded by the Croatian gaffer as one of India's most potent attacking options.

However, Rahim hasn't been given regular run-ins at the club level, which has been holding back his development as a center-forward.

In the recently-concluded Durand Cup, he was deployed on the flanks, however, still managed to bag a goal in three appearances. When he made substitute appearances for the Blue Tigers in the SAFF Championships earlier in the year, his movement looked lackluster.

But this might be the perfect opportunity for the youngster to shine at the international level with a consistent run of matches.

#2 Ashique Kuruniyan

For Mohun Bagan SG, Ashique Kuruniyan has tucked into multiple deeper roles, visibly affecting his attacking development. But against the likes of Singapore and Lebanon in the previous international clashes, Stimac has trusted the winger to lead the attacking line.

Although he might not be the sharpest in the final third and his finishing is possibly a bit hit-and-miss, Ashique displays a relentless work rate, which makes him a menace for the opposition defenders.

With Sahal Abdul Samad tucking behind him, the 26-year-old will have innumerable opportunities to exploit the spaces between the defenders.

#3 Manvir Singh

Right from Manvir Singh's breakthrough season, many had hoped for him to take over the mantle of becoming India's ever-reliant forward.

However, having constantly been deployed on the flanks, Manvir has relatively lost a lot of his sharpness inside the opposition box. Furthermore, his decision-making skills have also been hampered.

For the Mariners, the 27-year-old has strictly operated as a winger in most systems. But the King's Cup and the Chhetri's unavailability presents an opportunity for Stimac to utilize Manvir in his natural position for once.