Khalid announces 23-member squad without Mohun Bagan footballers, Gurpreet returns
Sanchita Chatterjee BS News Agency: The new national team coach Khalid Jamil has announced the names of the 23-member Indian team footballers for the CAF Nations Cup. There is no name of any footballer from Mohun Bagan Super Giant in this list. The Bagan authorities have not released any footballer, on the grounds that this tournament is not taking place in the FIFA window, while the federation does not look into the injuries of their footballers.
Gurpreet Singh Sandhu was left out of the Asian Cup qualifiers team when Manolo Marquez was the Indian coach. He returned to Khalid's team along with goalkeeper Amarinder and Ritwik Tewari. The inclusion of East Bengal's Anwar Ali will increase the strength of the Indian defense alongside Sandesh Jhingan. At the same time, coach Khalid is relying on Jitin MS and Irfan Edwards in the attack, along with others. However, even though he was in the camp, Rahim Ali did not make it to the 23-member squad. Rahul KP and Sunil Benjamin were left out.
The Indian football team will leave for Tajikistan on Tuesday after completing the camp in Bengaluru to play its first match on August 29. The opponents in the next two matches will be Iran and Afghanistan on August 1 and 4. Although the team has to be prepared in a short time, Indian team coach Khalid Jamil is ready to take on the challenge. Mohun Bagan has no complaints about not getting footballers. He said, "We are ready to fight with those who are there in the CAF Nations Cup. Moreover, this opportunity will give us a chance to see others. Later, if we get everyone before the Asian Cup qualifiers, we can think anew. The first match of any tournament is always difficult. So, we have to play with a little understanding at the beginning. I see this tournament as a preparation for the Asian Cup qualifiers. We have to play well, increase our confidence and build understanding. Hopeful of good results in the CAF Nations Cup.
Those who got a chance in the Khalid team are Gurpreet, Amarinder, Ritwik (goalkeeper), Becky, Roshan, Anwar, Sandesh, Chinglesana, Ralte, Uvais (defender), Nikhil Prabhu, Suresh, Danish, Jixon, Boris, Ashiq, Udanta, Mahesh (midfielder), Irfan, Manbir Jr., Jitin, Chante, Vikram Pratap.