Goalkeeper Gurpreet named India captain

Gurpreet Singh Sandhu. Pic/Getty Images

India's first-choice goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu was on Sunday named the captain of the team for the must-win 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Qatar here.

India will play hosts Qatar in the return fixture at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium on Tuesday. The India senior men's team landed in Doha on Saturday night for the match in which a win could pave the way for a maiden entry into the third round of World Cup qualifiers.

Head coach Igor Stimac had named a 23-member squad for the fixture. Apart from Sunil Chhetri, who retired after his last game for the country against Kuwait on Thursday, defenders Amey Ranawade, Lalchungnunga and Subhasish Bose did not travel to Qatar. Bose was released on his request because of personal reasons.

About Ranawade and Lalchungnunga, Stimac said, "I was happy to have both of them with us. We worked on various aspects of their game for the future. We had a nice talk before we released them and they know which parts of their game they need to grow for the upcoming season. I hope both of them will use the time ahead to improve and come back stronger."

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