New Delhi, Feb 2 (IANS) The Indian U-23 football team’s head coach Lee Johnson on Tuesday announced a list of 28 probables for the 12th South Asian Games which are scheduled to kick off on February 6 in Guwahati and Shillong.
The initial 21 players have already joined the preparatory camp in Guwahati, which commenced on January 31.
India, who have been clubbed alongside Sri Lanka and Maldives in Group A, will clash with Sri Lanka in their opening fixture on February 6 before taking on Maldives on February 10.
“We have imbibed a new setup for the U-23 national team and most of the players are new. The lads understand the importance of the competition and they remain focused on emulating the success of the senior team,” Johnson said in a release.
When asked about the squad’s fitness, Johnson said, “The squad is fit and looks in good shape except Nikhil (Poojary) and Amrinder (Singh) who are nursing minor injuries. But we expect them to train within the next couple of days.”
The 28-member squad will be further trimmed down to 20 and will be announced either on February 4 or 5.
The 28 probables are:
Goalkeepers: Amrinder Singh, Rehenesh Paramba, Kamaljit Singh.
Defenders: Pritam Kotal, Sandesh Jhingan, Narayan Das, Kaushik Sarkar, Bikramjit Singh, Abhishek Das, Nikhil Poojary, Samad Ali Mallik, Prabir Das, Aiborlang Khongjee.
Midfielders: Sumit Passi, Jayesh Rane, Pronoy Halder, Amoes Thiruvanathanadhah, Lallialzuala Chhangte, Germanpreet Singh, Mawihmingthanga, Zodingliana, Rowlin Borges, Vinit Rai, Udanta Singh.