New Delhi: The All India Football Federation has announced a 28-member squad ahead of their upcoming qualifiers for both the FIFA World Cup in 2022 and the 2023 AFC Asian Cup. The squads were unveiled on Wednesday (May 19) that will travel to Doha for three matches starting from June 3.
🚨 PROBABLES SQUAD ANNOUNCEMENT 🚨
The 2️⃣8️⃣-member #BlueTigers 🐯 probables squad that is to travel to Doha, Qatar 🇶🇦, for the three #WCQ 🏆 matches, is listed below 👇
GOALKEEPERS: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Amrinder Singh, Dheeraj Singh.#BackTheBlue 💙 #IndianFoorball ⚽ (1/5) pic.twitter.com/vr0mCnypyh
— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) May 19, 2021
“It’s not an ideal situation as we move ahead to the Qualifiers in June”, said India head coach Igor Stimac after the entire side went in isolation at the team hotel from May 15 in New Delhi.
“Due to the pandemic, our National Camp which was slated to begin in Kolkata at the beginning of May had to get cancelled. The pandemic also robbed us of a friendly match in Dubai, However, we understand the magnitude of the situation, and it will be intense sessions in Doha to raise the tempo and try to get ready for the matches which starts with the one against the Asian Champions Qatar in Doha,” Stimac further added.
As per the protocols, all the travelling players, as well as staff, will carry with them negative results from the RTPCR tests which are to be conducted 48 hours before they start their journey. The Blue Tigers will kick-off the tour against Asian Champions Qatar on June 3 before they lock horns with Bangladesh on June 7 and Afghanistan on June 15.
The fixtures will be played at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha considering the pandemic situation. Also, the original format of home and away matches will not be possible to conduct under these circumstances with India being currently on three points from three matches in Group E.
Meanwhile, on a positive note, talismanic skipper and forward Sunil Chhetri has returned to the squad which will give much-needed boost for the upcoming matches. “It’s such a relief to be back in the National team squad – after all, home is where the heart is,” stated Sunil.
“Personally, I am eagerly looking forward to being in Doha. The last time I was in Doha, I couldn’t be a part of the match against Qatar owing to illness”, the forward added. He also expressed the difficulty level the fixtures will impose while mentioning the importance of having good build up.
“The matches in June are extremely tough and we need to take them one at a time. Given the fact that we don’t have much time, the preparatory camp will add immense value helping all to gel together, and strike that chord ahead of the first match, Doha has always had an emotional connection with me. It was there that I played in the 2011 Asian Cup, and also the AFC Cup final for my club Bengaluru FC,” Chhetri added.
The 28-man squad is as follows:
Goalkeepers: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Amrinder Singh, Dheeraj Singh.
Defenders: Pritam Kotal, Rahul Bheke, Narender Gehlot, Chinglensana Singh, Sandesh Jhingan, Adil Khan, Akash Mishra, Subhashish Bose.
Midfielders: Udanta Singh, Brandon Fernandes, Liston Colaco, Rowllin Borges, Glan Martins, Anirudh Thapa, Pronoy Halder, Suresh Singh, Lalengmawia Ralte, Abdul Sahal, Yasir Mohammad, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Bipin Singh, Ashique Kuruniyan.
Forwards: Ishan Pandita, Sunil Chhetri, Manvir Singh.
