Indian football team: Sunil Chhetri, Sandesh Jhingan, and Gurpreet Singh part of Asian Games squad

Talismanic striker Sunil Chhetri, seasoned defender Sandesh Jhingan, and first-choice goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu have been announced as part of the 22-member Indian men's football squad set to compete in the upcoming Asian Games.

Under the guidance of national senior team head coach Igor Stimac, the Indian squad will showcase its talent in Hangzhou, China, the host city for the Games.

The participation of the Indian men's and women's football teams in the Hangzhou Games was initially uncertain due to the sports ministry's criteria of sending only top-8 ranked teams in the continent. However, after an appeal from the All India Football Federation (AIFF), both the men's and women's teams were granted approval to compete.

India's men's football team will be in Group A, alongside hosts China, Bangladesh, and Myanmar. The Asian Games' football competition follows an Under-23 format, but due to the event's one-year delay, players born up to January 1, 1999, who are 24 years old, have been allowed to participate.

This marks India's return to the Asian Games after missing the 2018 edition in Jakarta, making it the first time in nine years for the two-time Asian Games champions to participate in the continental event.

🚨 #𝟷𝟿𝚝𝚑𝙰𝚜𝚒𝚊𝚗𝙶𝚊𝚖𝚎𝚜 🇮🇳 𝙼𝚎𝚗’𝚜 𝚂𝚚𝚞𝚊𝚍 𝙰𝚗𝚗𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚍 🚨

More details 👉🏽 https://t.co/VzlDYo5P6S#IndianFootball ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/ip9Ylh0QKS

— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) August 1, 2023

India's squad:

Goalkeepers: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Gurmeet Singh, Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem.

Defenders: Sandesh Jhingan, Anwar Ali, Narender Gahlot, Lalchungnunga, Akash Mishra, Roshan Singh, Ashish Rai.

Midfielders: Jeakson Singh Thounaojam, Suresh Singh Wangjam, Apuia Ralte, Amarjit Singh Kiyam, Rahul KP, Naorem Mahesh Singh.

Forwards: Siva Sakthi Narayanan, Rahim Ali, Sunil Chhetri, Aniket Jadhav, Vikram Partap Singh, Rohit Danu.

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(With PTI inputs)