Indian men's national football team head coach Igor Stimac has named eight new players in the list of 38 probables for the preparatory camp ahead of international friendlies against Bahrain and Belarus.
The likes of Prabhshukhan Gill, Mohammad Nawaz, Deepak Tangri, Naorem Roshan Singh, Vikram Pratap Singh, VP Suhair, Aniket Jadhav and Jerry Mawihmingthanga have been called to the senior team's camp for the first time.
The squad along with the staff will assemble in Pune on March 10. The players whose clubs would be playing in the semifinals of the Indian Super League will join the camp as and when their club commitments end.
The list will later be pruned, and the contingent will be flying to Bahrain on March 21. The team is scheduled to play Bahrain on March 23, and Belarus on March 26, with both matches kicking-off at 9.30 PM IST.
"The two international friendlies are part of our preparations for the third round of qualifiers, and we need to show some resilience and creativity. The two matches should enable our players to mature, and gain more experience against stronger sides. But for all of them it's the start of the competition to gain that coveted place in the starting line-up for the June qualifiers," Stimac said.
"I have been watching every single game and admiring the boys for giving everything they have for their clubs," the head coach added.
India will be playing the final round of the AFC Asian Cup China 2023 qualifying matches in Kolkata from June 8. They have been clubbed in Group D along with Hong Kong, Afghanistan and Cambodia.
Here's list of 38 probables:
Goalkeepers: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Amrinder Singh, Dheeraj Singh, Prabhshukhan Gill, Mohammad Nawaz.
Defenders: Pritam Kotal, Ashutosh Mehta, Seriton Fernandes, Ashish Rai, Rahul Bheke, Sandesh Jhingan, Deepak Tangri, Narender Gahlot, Chinglensana Singh, Subhashish Bose, Akash Mishra, Mandar Rao Dessai, Naorem Roshan Singh.
Midfielders: Udanta Singh, Vikram Pratap Singh, Anirudh Thapa, Pronay Halder, Jeakson Singh, Glan Martins, Brandon Fernandes, VP Suhair, Lalengmawia, Sahal Abdul Samad, Yasir Mohammad, Ashique Kuruniyan, Aniket Jadhav, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Bipin Singh, Jerry Mawihmingthanga.
Forwards: Manvir Singh, Liston Colaco, Sunil Chhetri, Rahim Ali.