Doha:
India's number one goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu was on Sunday named captain of the team for the must-win 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Qatar. India will play host country Qatar at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium on Tuesday. The Indian senior team touched down in Doha on Saturday evening for the match in which a win could pave the way for a first appearance in the third round of the World Cup qualifiers. Head coach Igor Stimac had named a squad of 23 members for the match. 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 at his request for personal reasons.
About Ranawade and Lalchungnunga, Stimac said: “I was happy to have them both with us. We have been working on different aspects of their game for the future. We had a nice chat before we released them and they know which parts of their game they should grow for the coming season.
I hope they both will use the time ahead to improve and come back stronger.” As for the captaincy, Stimac said it was a no-brainer to hand it over to Gurpreet.
With 71 caps, the 32-year-old is the most experienced and longest-serving player in the national team after Chhetri's retirement.
“Gurpreet was one of our captains alongside Sunil and Sandesh (Jhingan) for the last five years, so obviously he is the one to take the responsibility at the moment,” Stimac said.
India's next opponents, Qatar, who have already qualified for the third round as group toppers, have fielded a largely young squad, with 21 of the 29 players under the age of 24.
Sandhu has led the team on and off in the past, especially when Chhetri was absent due to injury or personal reasons.
Two-time Asian champions Qatar were held goalless by Afghanistan in Hofuf, Saudi Arabia, on Thursday in a match they dominated but failed to break the determined Afghan defense.
“We watched the match between Afghanistan and Qatar and will work on the attacking transition over the next two days, hoping to score goals from the chances we create,” Stimac said.
India will practice in Doha on Sunday evening before official training at the match venue on Monday.
A win is a must for the Blue Tigers. If they lose to Qatar, they will be eliminated from the qualifiers.
They will then compete in the third round of the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers for a place at the 2027 tournament in Saudi Arabia.
But if India beat Qatar, they will be in pole position to qualify for the third round of the World Cup qualifier and a direct spot in the Asian Cup thanks to their superior goal difference over Afghanistan.
If India draws against Qatar, it will qualify for the third round only if the match between Kuwait and Afghanistan, which starts two hours after India's match in Kuwait City, also ends in a draw.
In that scenario, India will finish second in the group with six points, the same as Afghanistan, but with a better goal difference.
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