Preparations for Thursday’s World Cup qualifier against Kuwait, which will also be Sunil Chhetri’s final match for India, are on track. India began getting ready for the must-win match on May 10 when the first batch of 26 assembled in Bhubaneswar. They were joined by players from ISL finalists Mohun Bagan Super Giant and Mumbai City FC on May 15. Head coach Igor Stimac pruned the list to 27 on May 24 and the squad travelled to Kolkata on May 29 where they have been training since.

Players have worked in the gym, had sessions on the pitch and, in the absence of quality friendlies, organised games among themselves. “We have grown in physical and mental fitness,” goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu has said.

With the Kuwait Premier League on, their players “will have games in their legs,” a member of the coaching staff said, adding “we should be able to deal with it.” Not allowed to talk to the media, the staff member requested anonymity.

What could worry India is the dip in form of goalkeepers. “When we began the camp, there was no No.1. Errors in the practice games showed that the keepers had carried their poor form from ISL into the camp,” said the staff member mentioned above.

The save percentages of Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, India’s first choice between the sticks, and third goalie Vishal Kaith were 67 and 61 respectively in ISL10. That number was 77 for Amrinder Singh but if he isn’t a shoo-in, it is because of a howler against Mohun Bagan in the ISL semi-final when instead of pushing it to the side, he parried Dimitri Petratos’ shot into the path of Jason Cummings who scored.

Stimac preferred Singh over Sandhu for the World Cup qualifier at home against Qatar but it didn’t turn out to be a good night for the Odisha FC keeper. An early mispass gave Akram Afif an opportunity and it was Singh’s inability to gather at the near post that led to Almoez Ali scoring.

Two errors from Kaith led to Mohun Bagan being surprised by Chennaiyin FC at home. The first when the goalie didn’t claim a corner-kick and the second, deep in stoppage time, when he did leave charge but got beaten well outside his penalty box.

That at 50, Kaith made the fewest saves among the three despite playing the most games is also proof that he played for the strongest team. Singh made 81 saves in 24 games and Sandhu, whose team finished 10th, 70 in 22.

Against Australia in the Asian Cup, Sandhu looked sure till he wasn’t. He flapped at a cross that he could have gripped leading to the ball falling kindly for Jackson Irvine who scored. “I’ll put my hand up taking responsibility for what could have been avoided and be dealt better,” Sandhu said on X after the game.

Against Afghanistan in Guwahati, it was Sandhu’s foul that led to the late penalty from where the visitors scored the winner. Add to that a heavy touch in the ISL 10 opener and an error in the 2023 Super Cup final. In 2019, when India played Bangladesh here, Sandhu’s error had led to a goal. It was rare then. It has been less so since.

All three have made excellent saves through the season and at 67%, Singh got most of his passes correct. One of them, to Roy Krishna, fetched Odisha FC the first goal in the first leg of the semi-final. At Bengaluru FC, Sandhu has made an assist for Chhetri.

But they have been unsure at corner-kicks and in dealing with crosses. “It is a foundation problem,” said the coaching staff member. “At an early age you are taught things like how to claim and position for corners, how to cushion the ball, how to push it to the side and when to attack the ball.”

Lack of a good second goalkeepers at the club can also impede development. If fit, none of the three is regularly challenged for a first 11 slot. If Sandhu and Singh were both sharp during India’s run of three titles at home in 2023, it was possibly because Stimac kept rotating them.

A good goalkeeper can win games and Sandhu has. He also starred in the 0-0 draw against Qatar in Doha in 2019. Till 2023, there was no doubting who was No.1. At 71 caps, he is the most experienced in the squad after Chhetri. At 1.98m and weighing nearly 100kg, he is one of the biggest goalkeepers in international football. All this could make Stimac stick with him. India are “desperate” to make the third round, Sandhu has said. For that to happen, a lot could depend on him.

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