The Indian football team head coach, Igor Stimac has named a 26-man squad for the upcoming 2022 FIFA World Cup and 2023 AFC Asian Cup joint second round Qualifiers against Afghanistan and Oman. A number of players have earned call-ups under his leadership for the first time, after delivering consistent performances in the ISL this season.
First-timers in the squad include highly-rated young goalkeeper Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem, Mumbai City FC defender Sarthak Golui, FC Goa midfielder Seiminlen Doungel and forward Farukh Choudhary from Jamshedpur FC.
Read | Five Indian youngsters to watch for in ISL this season
While Dheeraj has not played for ATK since joining the Kolkata-based club earlier this season, he was impressive for Kerala Blasters in the 2018-19 edition, keeping clean sheets in four games of the 13 he played. Dheeraj made his name at the U-17 FIFA World Cup, where his performances led to a trial with Scotland’s Motherwell FC last year.
The 22-year-old Golui has made the cut on the basis of his superlative defensive performances for Mumbai City FC this season. In the three games he has played so far, he has made 11 tackles and 15 interceptions and has generally been a rock at the back, nipping attacks in the bud.
ISL’s resident journeyman, Doungel has had a mixed bag of a season for FC Goa, where he scored a goal on his debut but then got sent off in his third game after being brought on later. However, his technical ability on the ball, seen in the past few seasons, convinced Stimac. Given India’s lack of midfielders who have good control on the ball, it seems a decent choice.
Read | A statistical look at the first two weeks of ISL 2019-20
Farukh Choudhary coupled with Manvir Singh makes for a new-look Indian attack in the squad alongside old guard Sunil Chhetri. One of them is likely to man the front-line with the Indian skipper and it would be interesting to see who gets the first preference.
Farukh has been a star for Jamshedpur FC, scoring once and assisting another in his three appearances so far. He has also attempted nine shots and put in six crosses, and is always available to help out his teammates, as evidenced by his 120 touches on the ball.
"I trust them and they know their responsibilities. After watching the league matches since they started, we have shortlisted these players. Some players who are not on the list also performed highly and came very close to getting selected," Stimac told AIFF.
While not every one of the newcomers might find a place in the starting XI, Stimac’s comments will provide major encouragement for other Indian youngsters to do better and have a shot at an India cap in the future.
Have a look at the complete list:
Goalkeepers: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Amrinder Singh, Dheeraj Singh
Defenders: Pritam Kotal, Nishu Kumar, Rahul Bheke, Anas Edathodika, Narender, Gahlot, Adil Khan, Sarthak Golui, Subhasish Bose, Mandar Rao Dessai
Midfielders: Udanta Singh, Jackichand Singh, Seiminlen Doungel, Raynier Fernandes, Vinit Rai, Sahal Abdul Samad, Pronay Halder, Anirudh Thapa, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Brandon Fernandes, Ashique Kuruniyan
Forwards: Sunil Chhetri, Manvir Singh, Farukh Choudhary
Featured image courtesy: Instagram/ sarthak_goluisg
