Indian men's national football team head coach Igor Stimac has named eight new players in his list of 38 probables for the preparatory camp ahead of the international friendly matches against Bahrain and Belarus.
Prabhsukhan Gill, Mohammad Nawaz, Deepak Tangri, Norem Roshan Singh, Vikram Pratap Singh, VP Suhair, Aniket Jadhav and Jerry Mavihmingthanga have been called into the senior team camp for the first time.
The team along with the team will gather in Pune on March 10. Players whose clubs will play in the semi-finals of the Indian Super League will join the camp after the club's commitments are over.
The list would be cut later, and the crew would fly to Bahrain on March 21. The team will play Bahrain on March 23 and Belarus on March 26, with both matches starting at 9.30 PM IST.
"Two international friendships are part of our preparations for the third round of the qualifiers, and we need to show some flexibility and creativity. The two matches should enable our players to mature and gain more experience against stronger sides. But For all of them it is the beginning of the competition to earn that coveted spot in the starting line-up for the June Qualifiers," Stimac said.
"I am watching every single game and praising the boys for giving their all for their clubs," the head coach said.
India will play the final round of the AFC Asian Cup China 2023 qualifying matches in Kolkata from June 8. They are placed in Group D along with Hong Kong, Afghanistan and Cambodia.
Here's a list of 38 possible:
Goalkeepers: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Amarinder Singh, Dheeraj Singh, Prabhsukhan Gill, Mohammad Nawaz.
Defenders: Pritam Kotal, Ashutosh Mehta, Ceriton Fernandes, Ashish Rai, Rahul Bheke, Sandesh Jhingan, Deepak Tangri, Narendra Gehlot, Chinglensana Singh, Subhasish Bose, Akash Mishra, Mandar Rao Desai, Naorem Roshan Singh.
Midfielders: Udanta Singh, Vikram Pratap Singh, Anirudh Thapa, Pranay Halder, Jackson Singh, Glenn Martins, Brandon Fernandes, VP Suhair, Lalengmawia, Sahal Abdul Samad, Yasir Mohammad, Ashiq Kuruniyan, Aniket Jadhav, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Bipin Singh, Jerry Mawimming .