Head coach Khalid Jamil has named a 23-player India squad for two friendlies against New Zealand on 12 and 15 November, calling up Liston Colaco, Muhammad Suhail and Bijoy Varghese from the SAFF Championship group in Dhaka while Ronney Kharbudon misses out through injury.
NEW DELHI, 6 November: India’s senior team will fly to New Zealand with a squad that takes three players out of the SAFF Championship campaign in Bangladesh, Jamil announced on Friday for the two-match trip in the November FIFA window.
The 23 who travel
Hrithik Tiwari, Som Kumar and Vishal Kaith are the three goalkeepers. The eight defenders are Abhishek Singh Tekcham, Akash Mishra, Bijoy Varghese, Jay Gupta, Mehtab Singh, Pramveer, Ricky Meetei Haobam and Roshan Singh Naorem.
Anirudh Thapa, Ashique Kuruniyan, Jithin MS, Lalremtluanga Fanai, Lalrinliana Hnamte and Tomba Singh Haobam make up the midfield, with David Lalhlansanga, Edmund Lalrindika, Liston Colaco, Manvir Singh, Muhammad Suhail and Ryan Williams as the forwards. Kuruniyan comes in fresh from creating Bengaluru FC’s stoppage-time winner against FC Goa in the Indian Super League on Friday.
Three players leave Dhaka
Varghese, Suhail and Colaco had been named in Noushad Moosa’s squad for the SAFF Championship but will not continue in the tournament, linking up with Jamil’s group instead. Farukh Choudhary, Noufal PN and Hmingthanmawia Ralte were released from the SAFF squad and returned to Mumbai City FC. Kharbudon is not in the New Zealand squad and will not travel to Dhaka either, because of an injury.
India opened their SAFF defence on 5 November with a 3-2 win over Pakistan in the Bangladeshi capital.
Two matches away from home
The squad assembles in Bengaluru on Saturday, trains on Sunday and leaves for Auckland that night. India face New Zealand first at Go Media Stadium in Auckland on Thursday, 12 November, at 11:30 IST, and again at One New Zealand Stadium in Christchurch on Sunday, 15 November, at 08:30 IST.
Jamil said India want to prepare well, play with discipline and use the matches to improve as a team. New Zealand, he noted, are a World Cup-playing nation and a strong opponent.
India squad: Goalkeepers: Hrithik Tiwari, Som Kumar, Vishal Kaith. Defenders: Abhishek Singh Tekcham, Akash Mishra, Bijoy Varghese, Jay Gupta, Mehtab Singh, Pramveer, Ricky Meetei Haobam, Roshan Singh Naorem. Midfielders: Anirudh Thapa, Ashique Kuruniyan, Jithin MS, Lalremtluanga Fanai, Lalrinliana Hnamte, Tomba Singh Haobam. Forwards: David Lalhlansanga, Edmund Lalrindika, Liston Colaco, Manvir Singh, Muhammad Suhail, Ryan Williams.
