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India U-20 Men’s National Team head coach Shanmugam Venkatesh announced the 23-member squad that will represent the country in the AFC U-20 Asian Cup in Kuwait City later this week.
The team had been training in Bhubaneswar, where they were also crowned winners of the SAFF U-20 Championship, earlier this year, before shifting base to Kolkata, where they have been training in preparation for the AFC U-20 Championship.
Placed in Group H, India will face the likes of Iraq (October 14), Australia (October 16), and hosts Kuwait (October 18).
“We have had a good preparation in the run-up to the AFC U-20 Championship, and the boys are all looking forward to taking on some of the best teams in Asia,” said head coach Shanmugam Venkatesh.
“We will be facing some tough matches in Kuwait, but I am confident that the boys will give a good account of themselves on the pitch,” said he.
A total of 44 teams have been placed across 10 groups in the AFC U-20 Asian Cup Qualifiers. Uzbekistan, being the hosts, have already qualified, with 15 other teams set to join them in the tournament proper.
The 10 group toppers will make it to the finals, while five best second-placed teams will also make it to Uzbekistan 2023. The matches in all the other groups have already taken place last month. However, Group H was postponed to October after the venue was shifted from Basra, Iraq to Kuwait City, Kuwait.
INDIA U-20
Goalkeepers
Zahid Hussain Bukhari, Som Kumar, Dipesh Chauhan
Defenders
Leewan Castanha, Amandeep, Abhishek Singh Tekcham, Sajad Hussain Parray, Halen Nongtdu, Brijesh Giri, Bikash Yumnam, Raj Basfore
Midfielders
Vibin Mohanan, Taison Singh Loitongbam, Harsh Shailesh Patre, Sibajit Leimapokpam, Vinay Harji, Shreyas Ketkar, Maheson Singh Tongbram, Aphaoba Singh
Forwards
Macarton Louis Nickson, Himanshu Jangra, Gurkirat Singh, Suhail Ahmad Bhat
India’s Fixtures:
October 14: Iraq vs India, Ali Sabah Al-Salem Stadium, Kuwait City, 7pm IST.
October 16: India vs Australia, Ali Sabah Al-Salem Stadium, Kuwait City, 7pm IST.
October 18: India vs Kuwait, Ali Sabah Al-Salem Stadium, Kuwait City, 10pm IST.
