Decoding Khalid Jamil’s India squad for Brazil vs Uruguay friendlies

ByTech Word News

Brazil. Uruguay. Panama.

They are not exactly names that India usually sees in the international window. Two World Cup winners will arrive and a Panamanian side with World Cup experience and Khalid Jamil picked the team this makes the selection debate almost as interesting as the games themselves.

The group of 26 men has an average age of 26.24 years. Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, 34, is the eldest while 19-year-old Pramveer is the youngest. There is plenty of experience in between, but also Mohammed Sanan, Macarton Nickson and Som Kumar, all of whom have been given a chance to push further into the senior picture.

India will face Panama in Bengaluru on September 26 before Brazil and Uruguay come to Kolkata on October 3 and 6 respectively. Camp starts on September 14th, which gives Jamil about two weeks to brainstorm ideas before the fun begins.

And there’s a lot to chew on in this team. Khalid Jamil has made some very bold moves to select the Indian team. (Photo: AIFF)

Vishal Kaith, Sandesh Jhingan, Rahul Bheke, Jeakson Singh and Liston Colaco are among the bigger names left out. Suresh Singh Wangjam, Roshan Singh Naorem, Hrithik Tiwari and Chinglensana Singh Konsham are on standby.

Some of these calls are straightforward. Others are harder to ignore. Taken together, however, they suggest that Jamil makes his selections according to the demands of those particular games rather than simply going with the biggest names on the team sheet.

India squad for matches against Uruguay, Panama and Brazil:

  • GoalkeepersCast: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Albino Gomes, Som Kumar, Prabhsukhan Singh Gill
  • Defenders: Akash Mishra, Abhishek Singh Tekcham, Bijoy Varghese, Anwar Ali, Jay Gupta, Hmingthanmawia Ralte, Pramveer, Ricky Meetei Haobam
  • Reserves: Macarton Nickson, Ashique Kuruniyan, Farukh Choudhary, Anirudh Thapa, Lalengmawia Ralte, Sahal Abdul Samad, Mohammed Sanan, Ricky Shabong
  • Attackers: Irfan Yadwad, Edmund Lalrindika, Rahim Ali, Manvir Singh, Ryan Williams, Vikram Partap Singh

BIG NAMES GONE

Let’s start with Vishal Kaith, because his absence is probably the most difficult to explain purely on current home form.

The Mohun Bagan goalkeeper has put together a couple of excellent seasons. In the 2024–25 ISL campaign, Kaith kept 15 clean sheets in 26 matches, setting a league record, while also winning the Golden Glove after making 71 saves and posting a 79% save percentage. He was part of the Mohun Bagan team that won both the League Shield and the ISL Cup, and even in 2025-26 he remained highly effective, keeping five clean sheets in 13 league matches. Vishal Kaith’s absence from the team was a big surprise. (Photo: Instagram)

His international story makes the omission all the more interesting. Kaith returned to the India squad in March 2025 after a gap of 2,377 days between appearances, the longest such wait in the history of the men’s national team. He kept a clean sheet against the Maldives on his return. So if this is not a judgment on his abilities, it is clearly a decision to look at alternatives.

Then comes Sandesh Jhingan, arguably India’s most obvious defensive leader after the departure of Sunil Chhetri. Jhingan has been involved in the physical side of international football for years and has been one of the main voices in the dressing room. His absence means India will miss out on that experience, but it also gives Jamil a chance to see if another group of centre-backs can shoulder some of that responsibility. Jhingan, one of the senior players and leader of this Indian team, was punished. (Photo: Instagram)

Rahul Bheke is another understandable omission. At 35, his experience is valuable, but the modern international game is increasingly cruel to defenders who cannot recover quickly. Against Brazil, this problem would be magnified rather than hidden.

Jeakson Singh is perhaps the more interesting omission in midfield. He has been one of India’s regular midfield picks for years and gives the team defensive discipline, especially when India have to spend long spells without the ball. His absence gives Ricky Shabong, Macarton Nickson and others a chance to offer Jamil something else in the middle.

And then there’s Liston Colaco.

The winger didn’t suddenly become a bad footballer. But his recent numbers explain why Jamil might want to look elsewhere. Colaco scored four goals in 27 ISL matches in 2024–25 and just one in 13 appearances in 2025–26. His creative input has remained useful, including four assists in 2025-26, but the gulf between his ability and end product is increasingly difficult to ignore.

This is especially important when India’s opponents are Brazil and Uruguay. You can get one or two good offensive moments against teams of this level. The question is whether you will complete them. Liston’s slump over the past two seasons has now turned into a national team breakout. (Photo: Instagram)

His absence therefore looks more like a formal call than a permanent rejection. Jamil gives Manvir Singh, Ryan Williams, Vikram Partap Singh, Rahim Ali and Irfan Yadwad a chance to stand up for themselves, while Colaco will know a strong start to the new season could bring him back into the conversation.

QUESTION FOR THE YOUTH

If Jamil really wants to push the next generation, the answer lies right in front of him.

India’s U23 team gave plenty of reason for optimism in the 2025 AFC U23 Asian Cup qualifiers, defeating Bahrain 2-0, narrowly going down with hosts Qatar before beating Brunei 6-0. Six points moved India to second place in Group H, while their nine goals were not enough to qualify. They finished fifth among second in the group on goal difference.

The mistake in qualifying hurt, but the performances were hard to ignore.

Vibin Mohanan was the star of the game against Brunei, scoring a hat-trick with two goals in the opening seven minutes. Mohammed Aimen added two more after coming off the bench, while Ayush Dev Chhetri also found the net. Parthib Sundar Gogoi stretched the defense from the wing and Bikash Yumnam anchored the back line.

Vibin has already made the jump to senior football and made his debut for India against Malaysia in November 2024. Meanwhile, Aimen is still waiting for his first senior cap despite playing a lot for the U23 team and receiving invitations to the senior camp. Vibin has already shown immense talent, worthy of the Indian challenge. (Photo: Instagram)

Jamil has already brought Mohammed Sanan, Macarton Nickson and Ricky Meetei Haobam into the senior squad. So why stop there?

This is the only area where the team could have possibly gone a little further. If this window is partly about finding the next generation, Vibin and Aimen have certainly done enough in this U23 campaign to earn another look.

Not everyone has to start against Brazil. A few minutes, starting against Panama or simply training alongside the senior group can tell Jamil a lot about whether their game can handle a jump in speed, power and decision-making.

If this is a rebuild, Jamil could also see how far the youngsters can run with it.

WHERE FRIENDSHIP MATTER

This international window has one twist that has quietly divided opinion across Indian football.

These three friendlies were never meant to be the main event. India was due to play in the FIFA ASEAN Cup, but its final stages clashed with the visit of Brazil, leading the AIFF to promote the glamor fixture. Bhaichung Bhutia asked whether the estimated 50-70 million rupees spent on a match in Brazil could be better spent on local football.

He’s right. Tournament football gives young players the opportunity to recover quickly, chase points and find ways through difficult games.

But with these matches happening anyway, Jamil has to squeeze every bit out of them. Make sure they remember them more than the posters.

Brazil will test India’s form before testing its mettle.

Take Pramveer, the 19-year-old NorthEast United defender. Facing Vinicius Jr. will test more than just his pace. Can he hold his line, handle the movement on the wing and resist the temptation to jump when Vinicius runs at him?

Macarton Nickson, also at NorthEast United, faces a different problem. Bruno Guimaraes is exactly the type of midfielder who makes the young player work without the ball. He will drift into the pockets between India’s midfield and defence, dragging markers with him and looking for the pass that opens things up.

Then there is Mohammed Sanan, one of the young attacking names now looking for a bigger role after leaving Jamshedpur FC. Compared to the Brazilian press, perhaps the extra touch he has at home just isn’t there. India will need him to take it quickly, play forward and make the first decision count.

Uruguay brings a different headache. Federico Valverde can turn a loose ball into a transition, Darwin Nunez will attack the space behind the defense and Ronald Araujo brings plenty of muscle to every duel. If Brazil stretches India, Uruguay will try to squeeze them.

Panama could probably be the most useful test of the attack. India should have more of the ball and give Jamil a chance to see if this group can do anything about it. Can the midfield break the lines? Can the wingers isolate defenders? Can India get runners behind the striker instead of just moving the ball side to side?

That’s why it’s worth watching this window.

The results will make headlines. Jamil needs to find out who can handle the jump.

– The end

Issued by:

Debodinna Chakraborty

Published on:

01 Sep 2026 13:05 IST