The Indian men’s national football team will return to action later this month as it faces Bangladesh in Dhaka for India vs Bangladesh on November 18, but this time the match arrives without the usual implications of qualification pressure.
India is already out of the running for the AFC Asian Cup 2027, and so is Bangladesh. Yet, the fixture carries its own weight not for what it means in the standings, but for what it signals about where Indian football is headed next. Head coach Khalid Jamil, who is still shaping the identity of the national team under his tenure, announced a 23-member list of probables on Wednesday. And in doing so, he revealed a direction that is clear, deliberate, and rooted in his belief that form, fitness and tactical suitability must outweigh past status.
The most notable absences Sunil Chhetri, Sahal Abdul Samad and Liston Colaco will draw the widest reaction. For nearly a decade, these three names have shaped India’s attacking structure in different ways: Chhetri with his incomparable finishing and presence, Sahal with his ability to take the ball between lines, and Liston with his pace and one-on-one threat. But Jamil’s decision to leave them out is less a rupture and more an honest acknowledgment of the team’s situation.
Chhetri, at 41, has been transitioning into the final phase of his international career, and the coach has been careful never to force the moment. With the team already eliminated, this match does not need Chhetri’s leadership and the national side needs to practice functioning without leaning on him as its emotional reference point. Sahal and Liston, meanwhile, have both struggled with rhythm and stretches of injury, and neither has been in the kind of form that typically secures an automatic call-up.
Jamil’s coaching philosophy has always centered on one principle: players must arrive ready to execute. His teams, from Aizawl to NorthEast United, have never been built on big names. They have been built on work-rate, tactical clarity, and the willingness to run without hesitation. The probables list reflects exactly that.
In goal, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu remains the anchor, not because of reputation but because he continues to be the most reliable presence in high-pressure situations. Around him, the defensive group features those who have played consistently in the ongoing domestic season. Sandesh Jhingan and Anwar Ali form the experienced central pairing that Jamil has leaned on before. The fullback group is mobile, aggressive, and chosen to support a defensive block that shifts quickly into counter-attacking lanes.
Where the list becomes most interesting is the midfield. Jamil clearly wants a team that can compress space and break quickly. Suresh Singh Wangjam perhaps the most consistent Indian midfielder of the last two seasons is central to that thinking. He will likely anchor transitions, win the second ball, and set the rhythm.
The creative responsibility falls naturally to Mahesh Singh Naorem and Lallianzuala Chhangte, wide players who not only carry threat, but are two of the best Indian attackers when it comes to beating the first defender and forcing numerical shifts in the opposition shape. The inclusion of 21-year-old Mohammed Sanan is a signal of foresight. Sanan has been steadily developing into a winger who plays forward instinctively his first touch is almost always directed toward goal-facing space.
Instead of introducing youth for symbolic reasons, Jamil has brought in a player who fits a tactical gap India has been trying to fill for three years: someone who can accelerate the game without waiting for structure to form around him. Up front, Irfan Yadwad is rewarded for his domestic productivity. He is a striker who finishes moves when supply is limited something India will likely need in Dhaka, especially in an away ground that has a history of testing emotional control. Rahim Ali and Vikram Partap Singh round out a forward group defined not by glamour but by industry, pressure, and positional discipline.
The broader picture is straightforward. India does not go to Dhaka to experiment loosely. Nor does it go to make statements about youth revolution. The team goes to compete, to defend properly, to avoid conceding easy transitions, and to try to win a match that could quietly shape its rankings, its confidence, and its trajectory into 2026.
For the first time in a long time, the national setup appears aligned around the idea that a rebuild does not require noise. It requires repetition. It requires clarity. It requires leaving out big names when the moment demands it and backing players who are ready to run for ninety minutes without hesitation.
On November 18, the scoreboard will matter. But how India looks how it moves, how it presses, how it reacts to difficulty will matter more.
The reset has already begun. The match in Dhaka will simply show how far along the process the team has come.
