Wingers Lallianzuala Chhangte and Ashique Kuruniyan scored a goal apiece as India began their SAFF Championship defence with a 2-0 win against Sri Lanka in Dhaka on Wednesday. The duo's top performance suggested they could help head coach Stephen Constantine plug some of the holes in his first-choice team going into the AFC Asian Cup in UAE next January.

Although India had a good 2017, they seem to lack depth in central midfield and the wings. While Anirudh Thapa and Germanpreet Singh did well as the two holding midfielders, a sterner test against fitter and faster opposition will give a better idea if they are likely to give compete with Rowllin Borges or Mohammad Rafique for a spot in the senior team.

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India normally play Udanta Singh and Hollicharan Narzary along the wings, supporting Sunil Chhetri and Jeje Lalpekhlua up front. Sometimes they vary their formation to allow Udanta and Narzary to use the width more, but Narzary in particular can be one-dimensional. Wednesday's match provided both Chhangte and Ashique the chance to play the flanks, and it was something they excelled in from the word go..