A 27-member Indian senior men’s national team will leave for Dubai on Monday for the preparatory camp ahead of India’s forthcoming international friendlies against Oman and the UAE. While the match against Oman is scheduled for March 25, the match against the UAE is slated for March 29. Both the matches will be held in Dubai. The Blue Tigers last played at the international level in November 2019 in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 World Cup Qualifiers.

However, talismanic striker Sunil Chhetri won’t be able to travel after he tested positive for Covid-19. Chhetri, the highest Indian goal-scorer at the international level with 72 goals, is currently recovering and is in self-isolation.

Head coach Igor Stimac stated: “It is such a relief that we are all assembling together and gearing up for international action. There are a lot of new faces in the squad and it is time for hard work for all of them – in fact, for all in the camp. We need to check how they respond and how bright is our future with them.”

The coach also mentioned that Brandon Fernandes, Rahul Bheke, Sahal Abdul Samad and Asish Rai weren’t available for selection as they are undergoing rehab at the moment.

The 27-member squad is as follows:

Goalkeepers: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Amrinder Singh, Subhashish Roy Chowdhury, Dheeraj Singh.

Defenders: Ashutosh Mehta, Akash Mishra, Pritam Kotal, Sandesh Jhingan, Chinglensana Singh, Adil Khan, Mandar Rao Dessai, Mashoor Shereef.

Promoted

Midfielders: Rowllin Borges, Lalengmawia, Jeakson Singh, Raynier Fernandes, Anirudh Thapa, Bipin Singh, Yasir Mohammad, Suresh Singh, Halicharan Narzary, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Ashique Kuruniyan.

Forwards: Manvir Singh, Ishan Pandita, Hitesh Sharma, Liston Colaco.