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Indian national football team coach Wim Koevermans has called up 30 players for the AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers preparatory camp, which will start in Pune from February 12. India play their AFC Challenge Cup 2014 qualifying matches in Myanmar next month.
Despite a poor second-half showing in the 2-4 defeat to Palestine, Koevermans has only surprisingly dropped young East Bengal striker Manandeep Singh, with the out-of-form Shillong Lajong striker Sushil Kumar Singh somehow keeping his place.
The additional players who join the Palestine match squad are from the ones who were included in the standbys list, although some of them like East Bengal’s Lalrindika Ralte, Salgaocar’s Rocus Lamare and Churchill Brothers midfielder Tomba Singh haven’t been included.
In-form players like East Bengal’s Harmanjot Singh Khabra, Pune FC’s Subhash Singh and Churchill Brothers defender Dharmaraj Ravanan will feel hard done by, as Koevermans and his coaching staff clearly want to keep faith in the players they originally shortlisted.
High-spending Prayag United are the most represented club with six players in the 30-man list, with almost their entire first-choice midfield included. The I-League takes a break for a month after this weekend’s matches, but the East Bengal and Churchill Brothers players could be released from the camp for AFC Cup duty.
India will face Chinese Taipei, Guam and hosts Myanmar in the qualifiers between March 2 and 6.
Squad
GOALKEEPERS: Sandip Nandy (Churchill Brothers), Subrata Pal (Prayag United), Subhasish Roychowdhury (Dempo), Karanjit Singh (Salgaocar).
DEFENDERS: Nirmal Chhetri, Syed Rahim Nabi (both from Mohun Bagan), Denzil Franco (Churchill Brothers), Gouramangi Singh (Prayag United), Arnab Mondal, Raju Gaikwad (both from East Bengal), Shouvik Ghosh (Pailan Arrows), Gurjinder Kumar (Pune FC), Sandesh Jhingan (United Sikkim Football Club).
MIDFIELDERS: Lenny Rodrigues (Churchill Brothers), Asif K, Lalkamal Bhowmick, Malswamatulunga, CK Vineet (all from Prayag United), Arata Izumi (Pune FC), Mehtab Hossain (East Bengal), Peter Carvalho, Clifford Miranda (both from Dempo), Francis Fernandes (Salgaocar), Alwyn George (Pailan Arrows), Jewel Raja (Mohun Bagan).
FORWARDS: Sunil Chhetri (Sporting Lisbon ‘B’), Robin Singh (East Bengal), Sushil Kumar Singh (Shillong Lajong FC), Joaquim Abranches (Dempo), Jeje Lalpekhlua (Pune FC)
