India, March 21 -- If Sunil Chhetri's return marks continuity, it is the opposite for India in goal. Current form is key, Manolo Marquez has said in his defence of including Chhetri. Gurpreet Singh Sandhu's exclusion is for the same reason. Sandhu, No. 1 since his debut against Iran in 2015, finds himself out of the squad on form for the first time since he became an India regular.

The errors had been piling through 2024 which Sandhu bookended with mistakes that led to goals against Australia and Malaysia. After the Asian Cup opener, India's goalkeepers' coach Tomislav Rogic defended Sandhu saying when teams struggle to get out of their back third, it can lead to goalkeeper making mistakes. But that was not the case against Afghanistan w...