The 23-person India U-20 men’s football team was unveiled on Tuesday for the AFC U-20 Asian Cup, which will take place later this week in Kuwait City.
India’s U-20 Men’s Football Team is Announced for the AFC U-20 Asian Cup
Prior to relocating to Kolkata, where they have been preparing in anticipation of the AFC U-20 Championship, the squad had been practising in Bhubaneswar, where they were also named the SAFF U-20 Champions earlier this year.
India, which is in Group H, will compete against teams like Iraq (on October 14), Australia (on October 16), and host Kuwait (October 18).
Head coach Shanmugam Venkatesh stated in an AIFF release, “We have had fantastic preparation in the lead-up to the AFC U-20 Championship, and the players are all looking forward to taking against some of the top teams in Asia.
“Since we are the underdogs, the opposition has had more time to prepare internationally while we have had more time to prepare domestically. However, we will travel there to compete for the opportunity to win.”
The guys have gained a lot of confidence after winning the SAFF U-20 Championship, and I am confident they will be able to perform admirably on the field “Added he.
The AFC U-20 Asian Cup Qualifiers include ten groups with a total of 44 teams. The tournament’s hosts, Uzbekistan, have already qualified, and 15 other teams will be joining them there.
The top 10 teams from each group go to the finals, while the top five teams from the second-place finishers also advance to Uzbekistan 2023. All of the other groups’ matches were already played last month. However, due to a site change from Basra, Iraq to Kuwait City, Kuwait, Group H was postponed to October.
India team
Defenders include Leewan Castanha, Amandeep, Abhishek Singh Tekcham, Sajad Hussain Parray, Halen Nongtdu, Brijesh Giri, Bikash Yumnam, and Raj Basfore. Goalkeepers include Zahid Hussain Bukhari, Som Kumar, and Dipesh Chauhan.
Aphaoba Singh, Taison Singh Loitongbam, Harsh Shailesh Patre, Sibajit Leimapokpam, Vinay Harji, Shreyas Ketkar, and Vibin Mohanan are all midfielders.
Macarton Louis Nickson, Himanshu Jangra, Gurkirat Singh, and Suhail Ahmad Bhat are among the forwards.