Star Indian defender ruled out as Blue Tigers face Afghanistan in CAFA Nations Cup 2025

Star Indian defender Sandesh Jhingan has been ruled out of the rest of the CAFA Nations Cup matches after sustaining an injury during the team’s 0-3 defeat to Iran in Tajikistan.

The injury to the 32-year-old stalwart is a big blow to India as they take on a strong Afghanistan side in their third and final Group B match on Thursday.

India are currently placed second in the four-team group with three points from two games after a thrilling win against hosts Tajikistan, which was followed by a defeat to Asian giants and world No. 20 Iran.

Iran are leading the pool with six points following an all-win record. India’s hopes of advancing in the tournament hinge on the match against Afghanistan.

“Defender Sandesh Jhingan had sustained an injury during India’s CAFA Nations Cup 2025 match against Iran, and has been ruled out of the remaining matches. He will return to India today,” posted All India Football Federation (AIFF) on ‘X’.

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World No. 133 India had scored through defenders Anwar Ali (5th) and Jhingan (13th) to upset the 106th-ranked Tajikistan in their opening match of the eight-team tournament.

The tournament, comprising mostly of Central Asian countries, is vital for India as they prepare for the Asian Cup qualifying round matches against Singapore on October 9 and 14.