Indian football team coach Stephen Constantine announced a list of 35 probables on Saturday in preparation for the forthcoming 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualifier against the Kyrgyz Republic.
The most interesting inclusion in the list is Mohun Bagan goalkeeper Debjit Majumder.
Debjit had fallen foul with Constantine when he snubbed a call-up to the India team in March last year for a 2018 World Cup qualifier against Turkmenistan due to club commitments with Mohun Bagan.
Although Constantine had voiced his displeasure with Debjit's decision at that time, the latest development indicates that he ready to give the 29-year-old another chance.
Three players from Aizawl FC, who recently became the first north-eastern club to win the I-League, also feature among the probables.
Goalkeeper Albino Gomes, left-back Lalruatthara and midfielder Laldanmawia Ralte are the players from the north-eastern powerhouse to be called up by Constantine.
The Indian squad will be camping at the Andheri Sports Complex in Mumbai from May 20 to prepare for the match which is slated to be played in Bengaluru on June 13.
Kyrgyzstan are currently placed at the 128th spot in the FIFA world rankings, 28 places below India.
The probables list includes eight U-22 players, all of whom would go through a rigorous training process to claim their spot in the final squad of 23.
"We will be having the camp in two stages and have invited 21 players for stage one. The stage two will kick-off when the remainder of the squad, ie, players from Mohun Bagan and JSW Bengaluru FC join in after finishing their respective Club commitments for the AFC Cup," Constantine was quoted as saying by the official website of the All India Football Federation (AIFF).
"For me, the start of any camp is another opportunity to see the players. I am very excited and looking forward to working with them again," he added.
"We will be camping in Mumbai and I need to thank AIFF President Mr. Praful Patel and WIFA for their help and cooperation, and also Mr. Aditya Thackeray for being helpful to us during my time in Mumbai."
The probables:
Goalkeepers: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Subrata Paul, Debjit Majumdar, Amrinder Singh, Albino Gomes, Vishal Kaith (U-22).
Defenders: Pritam Kotal, Nishu Kumar (U-22), Arnab Mondal, Sandesh Jihngan, Anas Edathodika, Chinglensana Singh (U-22), Lalruatthara (U-22), Fuganco Cardozo, Subhasish Bose (U-22), Narayan Das, Jerry Lalrinzuala (U-22).
Midfielders: Jackichand Singh, Udanta Singh, Laldanmawia Ralte (U-22), Seityasen Singh, Eugeneson Lyngdoh, Rowllin Borges, Cavin Lobo, Md. Rafique, Dhanapal Ganesh, Milan Singh, Issac Vanmalsawma (U-22), Holicharan Narzary, Bikash Jairu.
Forwards: Sunil Chhetri, Jeje Lalpekhlua, Daniel Lahlimpuia, Robin Singh, C.K. Vineeth.
--IANS
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