Sunil Chhetri, captain of the Indian men's national football team, has been ruled out of the upcoming friendlies against Bahrain and Belarus after failing to recover from injuries.
"I was really looking forward to the two friendlies against Bahrain and Belarus and it's a shame I'll be missing out. It's been a long, tough season and I've suffered a few small injuries that need time to heal. I will be doing all I can to recover in time for the camp in May," Chhetri told AIFF media.
"The potential this squad possesses is immense, and a lot of the lads are riding high on confidence on the back of good performances in the league season. I'm certain we'll put our best foot forward. I'm wishing the team all the luck," he added.
Chhetri's Bengaluru FC teammate Ashique Kuruniyan will also not join the national camp as he's recovering from an injury.
Head coach Igor Stimac had named 38 probables, including eight new players, for the preparatory camp in Pune. 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 players and the staff will assemble in Pune on March 10 for the camp starting from next day. The players whose clubs will be playing in the semifinals of the ongoing Indian Super League will be joining the camp after their club commitments end.
"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," Stimac said.
India will take on Bahrain on March 23, and Belarus on March 26, with both matches kicking-off at 9.30 PM IST.