India has revealed a 23-member squad for their high-stakes AFC Asian Cup qualifier against Bangladesh. The All India Football Federation (AIFF) released the squad list on Saturday, confirming that the team has been training in Bengaluru for the past week.
The Blue Tigers are set to face Bangladesh on Tuesday (November 18) at 8 PM at the National Stadium in Dhaka. The Indian team is expected to arrive in Dhaka this evening to continue their final preparations for the match.
Expatriate Ryan Williams Included, But Clearance Still Pending
Following Bangladesh’s successful integration of foreign-origin players like Hamza Chowdhury, Zayan, Samit Som, and Cuba Mitchell, India appears to be taking a similar approach. Australian-born midfielder Ryan Williams has been named in the squad for the first time.
However, Williams’ participation remains uncertain. His appearance depends on obtaining an NOC from Football Australia, followed by approval from both FIFA and the AFC.
A senior AIFF official said,
“𝑹𝒚𝒂𝒏 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒍 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒒𝒖𝒂𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝑫𝒉𝒂𝒌𝒂, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒆𝒍𝒅 𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒍 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒂𝒅𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒕𝒆.”
India has already submitted a formal request to allow Williams to play against Bangladesh. If clearance arrives by November 17, he will be eligible for selection. Otherwise, his debut will be delayed. Notably, Williams has already featured in a warm-up match against Bhutan.
Although born in Australia, Williams holds Indian nationality through his mother. His father’s lineage also made him eligible for England and Wales. Initially, he chose to represent Australia but did not break into their senior national team, ultimately opting to play for India.
Both Teams Out of Qualification Race
Despite the anticipation surrounding the match, neither Bangladesh nor India has any possibility of advancing to the main tournament. With only 2 points from 4 games, both teams sit at the bottom of Group C, with India trailing on goal difference.
“𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉 𝒎𝒂𝒚 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒊𝒕 𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒅𝒔 𝒊𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒈𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒃𝒐𝒕𝒉 𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒔,” 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅 𝒂 𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒄𝒆 𝒄𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑰𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒂𝒏 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒎.
India’s Squad for the Match Against Bangladesh
Goalkeepers: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Hrithik Tiwari, Sahil
Defenders: Akash Mishra, Anwar Ali, Vikas Yumnam, Himingthanmaoiya Ralte, Joy Gupta, Paramvir, Rahul Bheke, Sandesh Jhingan
Midfielders: Brishan Fernandes, Lalremtluanga Fanai, Makarton Lewis Nixon, Mahesh Singh Naorem, Nikhil Prabhu, Suresh Singh Wangjam
Forwards: Edmund Lalrindika, Lallianjula Chhangte, Mohammad Shanan, Rahim Ali, Ryan Williams, Vikram Pratap Singh
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