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For the first time in over six months, the Indian men's senior national team is returning to action as they participate in the Hero Tri-Nation International Football Tournament, starting on Wednesday, March 22. The Blue Tigers will play two friendly matches against Myanmar and the Kyrgyz Republic.
The 2022-23 edition of the Indian Super League (ISL) came to a close just three days back and will be a quick switchover for the Indian players.
Igor Stimac's men were part of a five-day camp in Kolkata and landed on Tuesday in Imphal, where the competition will be held over the next seven days. The games are part of Sunil Chhetri and Co.'s preparations for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup, which is set to commence early next year.
Stimac hasn't had ample time to assemble and assess his squad after the six-month hiatus. However, the Croatian tactician has closely followed the developments of his players throughout the ISL season and can base the team around their strengths.
The tournament will also be a learning curve for all the youngsters who have been called up into the national team mix for the first time. The likes of Phurba Lachenpa Tempa, Ritwik Das, Rohit Kumar, and Naorem Mahesh Singh will all get opportunities to build on their ISL exploits.
Bengaluru FC starlet Sivasakthi Narayan and ATK Mohun Bagan's Glan Martins were also part of the probable squad but suffered injuries in the ISL 2022-23 final that will keep them out of action.
The Blue Tigers' last competitive action was back in September 2022. India secured a draw against Singapore but fell to a comprehensive 3-0 defeat against Vietnam.
However, earlier last year, led by Sunil Chhetri, the nation defeated Cambodia, Afghanistan, and Hong Kong on the trot in the AFC Cup Qualifiers to seal a berth in the main tournament.
India's opponents in the Hero Tri-Nation International Football Tournament
Myanmar: Myanmar are ranked 53 places below their opponents in the FIFA rankings. They have an underwhelming record in their last 11 matches, where they have lost nine of them.
The Chinthe recently participated in the AFF Championship and suffered four defeats and managed to secure just a draw. Myanmar lost 3-0 to Vietnam, along with forgettable performances against Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand.
However, they have now appointed German tactician Michael Feichtenbeiner and will be hoping to fair better in the upcoming Tri-Nation Tournament.
Kyrgyz Republic: The nation is ranked 94th in the latest FIFA rankings and have had a similar performance graph to India in their previous matches. While they finished second in the group and secured qualification to the AFC Asian Cup in June last year, Kyrgyz Republic lost an international friendly to Russia in September.
They are expected to be a heavyweight challenge for this young Indian team.
India's squad for the Hero Tri-Nation International Football Tournament
Goalkeepers: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Phurba Lachenpa Tempa, Amrinder Singh.
Defenders: Sandesh Jhingan, Roshan Singh, Anwar Ali, Akash Mishra, Chinglensana Konsham, Rahul Bheke, Mehtab Singh, Pritam Kotal.
Midfielders: Suresh Wangjam, Rohit Kumar, Anirudh Thapa, Brandon Fernandes, Yasir Mohammad, Ritwik Das, Jeakson Singh, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Bipin Singh.
Forwards: Manvir Singh, Sunil Chhetri, Naorem Mahesh Singh.
Head Coach: Igor Stimac.
Fixtures for the Tri-Nation International Football tournament
India vs Myanmar – March 22 (6.00 pm IST)
Myanmar vs Kyrgyz Republic – March 25 (6.00 pm IST)
India vs Kyrgyz Republic – March 28 (6.00 pm IST)
The venue for all the games is the Khuman Lampak Stadium, Imphal.
Will the Hero Tri-Nation International Football Tournament be telecast in India?
Yes, the Hero Tri-Nation International Football Tournament will be telecasted live on the Star Sports Network in India. Viewers can also catch the live stream of the matches on the Disney+ Hostar application and website in India.
