No Sunil Chhetri! Khalid Jamil confirms 23-man squad for CAFA Nations Cup

Newly appointed India head coach Khalid Jamil has announced a 23-member squad for the upcoming CAFA Nations Cup in Tajikistan, beginning August 29. The tournament will be Jamil’s first in charge of the national team. The most notable omission is Sunil Chhetri, with the veteran striker not included in the training camp that began on August 1. Jamil finalised his squad from a pool of 29 probables, though Mohun Bagan did not release seven of their players since the competition does not fall within the FIFA international window. That ruled out the likes of Liston Colaco, Manvir Singh and Subhasish Bose. Among those drafted in late were East Bengal’s Anwar Ali, Naorem Mahesh Singh and Jeakson Singh Thounaojam, who joined the camp last Friday, while Jithin MS reported after completing club commitments. All four have made the final squad. Experienced goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu also returns to the side. India have been placed in Group B with hosts Tajikistan, defending champions Iran and Afghanistan. The Blue Tigers open their campaign against Tajikistan on August 29, followed by fixtures against Iran on September 1 and Afghanistan on September 4. The format sees the top two teams from each group move into the play-offs on September 8. Group winners will meet in the final in Tashkent, while the second-placed sides will contest the third-place match in Dushanbe.Goalkeepers: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Amrinder Singh, Hrithik Tiwar.Defenders: Rahul Bheke, Naorem Roshan Singh, Anwar Ali, Sandesh Jhingan, Chinglensana Singh, Hmingthanmawia Ralte, Muhammed Uvai.Midfielders: Nikhil Prabhu, Suresh Singh Wangjam, Danish Farooq Bhat, Jeakson Singh, Boris Singh, Ashique Kuruniyan, Udanta Singh, Naorem Mahesh Sing.Forwards: Irfan Yadwad, Manvir Singh (Jr.), Jithin MS, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Vikram Partap Sing.Jamil, who previously impressed during his stint with Jamshedpur FC in the Indian Super League, faces a stern test as India sit bottom of their AFC Asian Cup qualifying group with just one point from two games.