India’s struggles under new head coach Khalid Jamil continued as the Blue Tigers suffered a 1-3 defeat against higher-ranked Tajikistan in the first of two international football friendlies at the Talco Arena in Tursunzoda on Friday.

The defeat is India’s third consecutive defeat in international friendlies after their disappointing campaign at the Unity Cup 2026 in London, where they lost to Jamaica 0-2 and Zimbabwe 0-1 without scoring any goals.

Tajikistan took control of the contest early when Sheridin Bobov converted a penalty in the ninth minute to give the hosts the lead. India struggled to get off to a meaningful start against a disciplined Tajik defense in the first half and trailed by a goal at the break.

The host team strengthened its hold on the match by scoring two more goals within six minutes after the resumption of the match. Mekhrubon Karimov doubled Tajikistan’s lead in the 61st minute, before Ehsan Panjshanbay effectively sealed the result with the third goal in the 67th minute.

India showed some fight in the closing stages and managed to pull one back through substitute Farooq Choudhary. The forward scored India’s first goal in the last three matches with a brilliant finish from a free-kick in the 88th minute, but it proved to be no more than a consolation.

The friendly formed part of India’s preparations for the upcoming continental assignment, with Jamil continuing to assess his squad and experiment with combinations against quality opposition.

Despite the defeat, the Indian coach will take some positives from the second half response as his team looked to take the lead after the break. However, defensive lapses and a lack of cutting edge in attack once again proved costly against a well-organized Tajikistan outfit.

The two teams will meet again in the second and final friendly match on June 9, giving India another chance to end their losing streak and build momentum ahead of future international commitments.

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