Chhetri out, Gurpreet in as Jamil names 23-member squad for CAFA Nations Cup
Jamil named the squad after the national camp held in Bengaluru, attended by 29 players.
Jamil named the squad after the national camp held in Bengaluru, attended by 29 players.
Bala joined Rangers Women FC in January this year before the Covid-19 pandemic broke out to become the first Indian footballer to play in Europe's top-flight
Gurpreet was only 18 when he was part of the Indian team for the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2011, where Subrata produced some stunning displays that earned him the nickname 'Spiderman.'
Gurpreet also congratulated defender Sandesh Jhingan and women's team striker Bala Devi as they were nominated by the AIFF for the Arjuna Award.
Both Sunil Chhetri and Gurpreet Singh Sandhu were seen praising the girls for their performance against Thailand which fetched them a 1-0 win.
Star Indian shot-stopper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, who played the match of his life between the poles, was also indeed very proud of how India performed in the match and gave their best against the Asian Champions.
After a heartbreaking defeat in the first match against Oman in Guwahati, the draw against Qatar has endured that India get their first points on the board.
Sans the services of talisman Sunil Chhetri who was indisposed, Gurpreet led the Indian team who are 41 rungs below Qatar in the FIFA rankings. Qatar are ranked 62nd in the world to India's 103.
India will play their first match of the qualifying campaign of FIFA World Cup, Qatar 2022, AFC Asian Cup, China 2023 against Oman.
Both Sandhu and Jeje are the national team's longest-serving footballers after Sunil Chhetri, who has received both Arjuna and Padma Shri. Sandhu is the only second footballer (the other being Sunil Chhetri) in India to play the Asian Cup final rounds twice in 2011 and 2019.
