Sunil Chhetri has been named captain of the 26-member Indian squad for the Asian Cup on Saturday, December 30, 2023. The Blue Tigers are scheduled to depart for Doha, Qatar where the continental showpiece event will take place from Friday January 1st. 12, 2023.
The team 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 who did not feature in the line-up in India’s last competitive match, played against Qatar in Bhubaneshwar for the World Cup qualifiers. Narem Roshan Singh, who was among the substitutes in this match, did not find his name in the Asia Cup squad.
Ashique Kuruniyan, Anwar Ali and Jeakson Singh were the key names who did not feature in the squad as they were injured. They are known for their physicality in midfield.
Speaking after the squad announcement, Stimac said all players are almost equal when it comes to footballing skills. The 56-year-old Indian manager further detailed the issues that he and the players would focus on when playing against superior teams like Australia and Uzbekistan in their group.
“The things we are looking to work on are mainly defensive compactness, offensive transitions and set pieces. It will be very important to work on marking inside the box as I was not happy with that part of our game. In the last few games we started letting away unnecessary goals inside the box. the surface,” Stimac told the official website of the All India Football Federation (AIFF).
India will begin their campaign on Saturday, January 13 against Australia at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan.
Indian squad for Asia 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 schedule for AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023
Group B schedule
January 13, 2024: Australia v India (5:00 p.m. IST, Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan)
January 18, 2024: India v Uzbekistan (8:00 p.m. IST, Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan)
January 23, 2024: Syria v India (5:00 p.m. IST, Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor)
First publication: December 30, 2023 | 7:14 p.m. STI
