Chhetri, Thapa part of probables named for friendlies against Oman, UAE

Indian men’s football coach Igor Stimac on Tuesday named 10 new faces in the 35-member list of probables for the forthcoming back-to-back international friendlies against Oman and UAE, which will be held in Dubai on March 25 and 29 respectively.

The final list of 28 players will be announced after the Indian Super League (ISL) final, which is slated to take place on March 13. The Blue Tigers will assemble in a preparatory camp in Dubai from March 15 onwards.

“We have kept 35 players in the list as a cushion in case any player picks up an injury during the HISL playoffs,” head coach Igor Stimac said.

Speaking about the new faces, Stimac said: “It’s been a difficult year for all of us and finally, we are all getting together. It will be great to meet some new young guns and to check how bright our future is with them. The two matches against Oman and UAE mean a lot to Indian football. It’s been a while since we last played and this is a great opportunity to check where we stand at the moment.

“I know the season was a tough one and players might be overloaded. But, we have enough time to refresh their legs and brains. However, many of them will have a break of two weeks without any organised training sessions prior to joining the camp. Hopefully, they will execute their individual working plans,” he added.

The coach also mentioned that Brandon Fernandes, Rahul Bheke, Sahal Abdul Samad, and Asish Rai do not feature in the list as they are nursing injuries at the moment.

The Blue Tigers last played at the international level in November 2019 in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 World Cup Qualifiers.

The 35-member list of probables is as follows:

Goalkeepers: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Amrinder Singh, Subhashish Roy Chowdhury, Dheeraj Singh, Vishal Kaith.

Defenders: Seriton Fernandes, Ashutosh Mehta, Akash Mishra, Pritam Kotal, Sandesh Jhingan, Chinglensana Singh, Sarthak Golui, Adil Khan, Mandar Rao Dessai, Prabir Das, Mashoor Shereef.

Midfielders: Udanta Singh, Rowllin Borges, Lalengmawia, Jeakson Singh, Raynier Fernandes, Anirudh Thapa, Bipin Singh, Yasir Mohammad, Suresh Singh, Liston Colaco, Halicharan Narzary, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Ashique Kuruniyan, Rahul KP, Hitesh Sharma, Farukh Choudhary.

Forwards: Manvir Singh, Sunil Chhetri, Ishan Pandita.