India's gaffer Igor Stimac names 26-member squad for WC qualifiers

The gaffer of the Indian men football team Igor Stimac has announced India’s 26-member squad for the upcoming FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 qualifiers against Afghanistan and Oman. Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem, whose brilliant performance as a goalkeeper during the FIFA U17 World Cup in India in 2017 earned him praise has received his well deserved and maiden call-up to the senior national team. 

READ | Football Transfer Rumours: Real Madrid Eyeing A Move For Jadon Sancho

'Dheeraj is a player for the future'

Stimac in an official statement said that “Dheeraj is a player for the future. We have always trusted our youngsters and they have also shown their prowess on the pitch. Our first choice goalkeepers are Gurpreet and Amrinder and we have seen Kamaljit and Vishal too. Now we would like to see Dheeraj closely as he belongs to those we should rely on in the future.” Dheeraj is the third player following Amarjit Singh and defender Anwar Ali, from India’s U17 squad to receive a call up to the senior team. Ali has not made it to the qualifiers against Afghanistan and Oman.

Gaffer Igo Stimac mentioned it was "not an easy task" to shortlist the players "given the healthy competition" in the team. "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 added.
"It's not going to be an easy task to select only a few players, given the healthy competition we have in each position. This is a good headache for us," he added.

READ | Champions League: Chelsea Star N'Golo Kante Included In Team Squad

'You can't complain about these'

The two back-to-back away fixtures are going to be a tough challenge for the Indian squad. Indian Captain Sunil Chhetri stated that "But, we are professionals and we know how to take care of our bodies. How we travel, what we eat, how much we sleep is going to be very important.” Defender Pritam Kotal said, "You can't complain about these because they're an integral part of modern-day football. Proper rest, diet and recovery are of utmost importance which needs to be taken care of."

The members of the Indian Squad

Goalkeepers: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Amrinder Singh, Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem.

Defenders: Pritam Kotal, Nishu Kumar, Rahul Bheke, Anas Edathodika, Narender, 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, Farukh Choudhary, Manvir Singh.
India are scheduled to play against Afghanistan (Dushanbe -Tajikistan) and Oman (Muscat) on November 14 and 19 respectively.

READ | Manchester United: Lingard Has Less Shots On Target Than Ben Foster

READ | Serie A: Mario Balotelli Responds To Racist Fans By Scoring A Screamer

(INPUTS FROM ANI)