 "Indian football team")
Sunil Chhetri was named the captain of India’s 26-member squad for the Asian Cup football tournament on Saturday, December 30, 2023. The Blue Tigers are due to leave for Doha, Qatar, where the continental showpiece event will take place from Friday, January 12, 2023.
The squad is a mix of youth and experience and has players who show character and strength according to manager Igor Stimac. Pritam Kotal and Deepak Tangri were two names that did not feature in the lineup in India’s last competitive game, played against Qatar in Bhubaneshwar for the World Cup qualifiers. Narem Roshan Singh, who was listed among substitutes in that game, has not found his name in the Asian Cup squad.
Your #BlueTigers squad for the #AsianCup2023— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) December 30, 2023
More details https://t.co/dZnAhok4su#IndianFootball pic.twitter.com/fMrghLG2gk
Ashique Kuruniyan, Anwar Ali, and Jeakson Singh were the key names that did not feature in the squad as they were out with injuries. They are known for their physicality in the midfield.
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Speaking after the announcement of the squad, Stimac said that all the players are almost equal when it comes to football skills. The 56-year-old India manager further detailed the issues that he and the players would focus on while playing against superior teams like Australia and Uzbekistan in their group.
“The things we are looking to work on are defensive compactness, offensive transitions, and the set pieces, mostly. It will be very important to work on man-marking inside the box because I was not happy with that part of our game. In the last few games, we started leaking some unnecessary goals inside the box,” Stimac was quoted as saying to the All India Football Federation (AIFF)’s official website.
India will start their campaign on Saturday, January 13 against Australia at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan.
India’s squad for Asian Cup 2023
Goalkeepers: Amrinder Singh, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Vishal Kaith.
Defenders: Akash Mishra, Lalchungnunga, Mehtab Singh, Nikhil Poojary, Pritam Kotal, Rahul Bheke, Sandesh Jhingan, Subhasish Bose.
Midfielders: Anirudh Thapa, Brandon Fernandes, Deepak Tangri, Lalengmawia Ralte, Liston Colaco, Naorem Mahesh Singh, Sahal Abdul Samad, Suresh Singh Wangjam, Udanta Singh.
Forwards: Ishan Pandita, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Manvir Singh, Rahul Kannoly Praveen, Sunil Chhetri, Vikram Partap Singh.
India's Schedule for the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023
Group B fixtures
January 13, 2024: Australia vs India (17:00 IST, Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan)
January 18, 2024: India vs Uzbekistan (20:00 IST, Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan)
January 23, 2024: Syria vs India (17:00 IST, Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor)
