Indian senior men's national team head coach Khalid Jamil on Sunday included talisman Sunil Chhetri and star defender Sandesh Jhingan in his 23-member squad for the upcoming Asian Cup Qualifiers away match against Singapore.
The 41-year-old Chhetri, who has come back from his international retirement earlier this year, was rested for the CAFA Nations Cup in August-September but will travel to Singapore for the Group C match on October 9.
Jhingan had suffered an injury during India's group match against Iran in the CAFA Nations Cup on September 1 in Hisor, Tajikistan.
The Blue Tigers have been training in Bengaluru since September 20 as part of their preparations for the double-header against Singapore, with the home leg slated to be held on October 14, at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Goa.
The team will depart for Singapore on Monday.
India are currently at the bottom with one point from two matches, while Singapore stand at the top of the group, having acquired four points from as many games. The team that finishes at the top of the group will qualify for the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027.
Jamil, on the eve of the team's departure, highlighted the importance of taking the remaining qualifiers one game at a time.
"We are not looking at the overall picture at the moment. There are still four matches to go, and the next one against Singapore is the most important for us right now," he said.
"We cannot look too far ahead – we must go one step at a time." While the Blue Tigers are travelling for the away game against Singapore with a 23-member squad, Jamil has kept two players – goalkeeper Hrithik Tiwari and forward Muhammed Suhail – in reserve for the home game.
"Though we are travelling with 23 players, we are constantly monitoring the rest. For now, Hrithik and Suhail have been kept on standby for the two matches against Singapore," said Jamil.
Squad: Goalkeepers: Amrinder Singh, Gurmeet Singh, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu.
Defenders: Anwar Ali, Hmingthanmawia Ralte, Muhammed Uvais, Pramveer, Rahul Bheke, Sandesh Jhingan.
Midfielders: Brandon Fernandes, Danish Farooq Bhat, Deepak Tangri, Macarton Louis Nickson, Mahesh Singh Naorem, Nikhil Prabhu, Sahal Abdul Samad, Udanta Singh Kumam.
Forwards: Farukh Choudhary, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Liston Colaco, Rahim Ali, Sunil Chhetri, Vikram Partap Singh.
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