India vs Australia, AFC Asian Cup: Who Will Partner Sandesh Jhingan As Centre-Back Pair?

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India will begin their AFC Asian Cup 2024 campaign on 13th January against Australia. Coach Igor Stimac will have to line up his strongest XI amidst the flurry of injury concerns the Blue Tigers are facing.

The coach will be missing Anwar Ali, Jeakson Singh, and Ashique Kuruniyan with injuries. However, against a team like Australia, coach Stimac's biggest headache will be the absence of Ali in the centre of the backline.

The Australia football team equalled their best result in the World Cup in 2022 when they qualified for the knockout stages. They will carry that confidence when they travel to familiar terrain, Qatar again for this tournament.

In their AFC Asian Cup 2024 warm-up game against defense-minded Bahrain, the Australia attackers' creativity was hindered. Anwar Ali's partnership with Sandesh Jhingan in the centre-back position would've been perfect to take advantage of that weakness.

Sandesh Jhingan has an aggressive playing style which is paired perfectly with level-headed Anwar Ali. The coach has immense faith in these two holding the fort in the backline. His absence already caused a lot of problems for India in their World Cup qualifiers match against Qatar.

It can be expected that the Socceroos would similarly launch consecutive attacks. India's defense was led by Jhingan who was paired with Rahul Bheke in the central defense against Qatar. However, the defense seemed chaotic and shaky.

Rahul Bheke has been excellent in defense for the Mumbai City FC this season. He is calm and composed which means he doesn't make reckless decisions at the back. However, taking the match against Qatar into account, he still has his work cut out for him.

Coach Stimac has another option in Lalchungnunga. However, the 23-year-old tends to make rash decisions. Paired with Jhingan, it could become a recipe for disaster. Hence, Bheke seems to be the right choice for the Blue Tigers' first AFC Asian Cup 2024 match.