Afghanistan vs India, World Cup qualifiers: Who could start instead of injured Sahal Abdul Samad?

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Sahal Abdul Samad travelled to Saudi Arabia for India's third World Cup qualifiers match against Afghanistan. However, as per several reports, he has sustained a hamstring injury during a training session. The extent of that injury is still unknown.

Still, coach Igor Stimac will not take the risk to field one of their most important players. Sahal missed most of their AFC Asian Cup campaign and came on only for a few minutes in their last match of that tournament against Syria.

His skills are unmatched in the national team similar to his importance at his club Mohun Bagan. Added to his goalscoring abilities, the 26-year-old midfielder’s qualities in the final third also includes creating chances for his teammates.

Even after missing so many games, he is still the second-most assist provider for Mohun Bagan this season. Additionally, his perfect runs and passes, and clean dribbles make him irreplaceable. Even so, the coach will have to call up either Brandon Fernandes or Vikram Pratap Singh in Sahal's place.

Brandon Fernandes is extremely skilled and similar to Sahal, he is good at creating goalscoring opportunities. He was one of the top five names in the Indian Super League (ISL) for creating most goalscoring opportunities. He orchestrated 25 opportunities in 10 ISL games.

On the other hand, Vikram Pratap Singh has started more matches in the ISL for Mumbai City FC. He has scored six goals and provided one assist in Mumbai's last nine ISL matches. Hence, it's visible that the 22-year-old forward is currently in a great form.

Coach Stimac gave both of these forwards very little playing time during India's AFC Asian Cup group stage matches. However, considering both players' current forms, the coach could call up Vikram Pratap Singh in Sahal's place instead of Brandon Fernandes. As per reports, Vikram is also the front runner to replace Sahal in the line-up.