At the Central Republican Stadium in Dushanbe, a sizeable crowd of Indian supporters had to watch their team succumb to a third draw in four matches in Group E of the World Cup qualifiers.
India were at a disadvantage even before the ball was kicked. Afghanistan hosted India on artificial turf in Dushanbe, close to 600 kilometres away from their home stadium, due to security reasons. While playing on that was hard enough, India had to do it without a designated centre-back.
Sandesh Jhingan's injury and Anas Edathodika's return to his hometown (due to personal reasons) meant right-back Rahul Bheke and Adil Khan were paired up in central defence.