India head coach Khalid Jamil sprung a massive surprise on Indian football fans. He did so by naming his squad for the friendlies against New Zealand. Jamil left veteran goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, 34, out of the squad. The reason is presumably the keeper’s errors in India’s 0-4 loss to Brazil in Kolkata last month.
Jamil opted to select Mohun Bagan’s Vishal Kaith and Odisha FC’s Hrithik Tiwari in the goalkeeping unit. Som Kumar is the only goalkeeper to retain his spot. Prabhsukhan Singh Gill and Albino Gomes were also left out.
Sandhu’s exclusion is newsworthy because he was also India’s permanent captain after taking over from the iconic Sunil Chhetri in 2024. However, this did not help him in Jamil’s eyes. The coach’s blueprint includes giving as many opportunities to youngsters as possible. In defence, Anwar Ali’s absence because of injury will force Jamil to make changes. For example, he is giving opportunities to Pramveer and Ricky Meetei Haobam. In midfield, Apuia misses out because of injury. This shatters the perfect partnership he had built alongside Anirudh Thapa.
The latter made history by becoming just the second Indian to score against Uruguay in October. He will now marshal India from the centre of the park. The newcomers Lalremtluanga Fanai, Lalrinliana Hnamte and Tomba Singh Haobam will also be given the spotlight. Ryan Williams, who gave up his Australian citizenship to play for the Indian football team, continues to lead the attack. He will find ample support from Manvir Singh, who can operate both on the flanks and as the second striker.
Winger Liston Colaco is renowned for his abilities in 1v1 situations. He was also called up to the squad. Mohammed Sanan became the replacement for the injured Edmund Lalrindika. Youngster Muhammad Suhail has become the talk of Indian football thanks to his great dribbling and crossing skills. He is now the youngest forward in the team. The Blue Tigers have already arrived in New Zealand. They will play their first match against the All Whites in Auckland on Thursday, November 12. The second and final match of the series will be played in Christchurch on Sunday, November 15.
India Squad
- Goalkeepers: Hrithik Tiwari, Som Kumar, Vishal Kaith.
- Defenders: Abhishek Singh Tekcham, Akash Mishra, Bijoy Varghese, Jay Gupta, Mehtab Singh, Pramveer, Ricky Meetei Haobam, Roshan Singh Naorem.
- Midfielders: Anirudh Thapa, Ashique Kuruniyan, Jithin MS, Lalremtluanga Fanai, Lalrinliana Hnamte, Tomba Singh Haobam.
- Forwards: David Lalhlansanga, Edmund Lalrindika (replaced by Mohammed Sanan), Liston Colaco, Manvir Singh, Muhammad Suhail, Ryan Williams.
