India announce 23-member squad for Merdeka Tournament

Midfielders Suresh Singh, Anirudh Thapa, Rohit Kumar, Sahal Abdul Samad, Brandon Fernandes, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Udanta Singh, Mahesh Singh Naorem, Liston Colaco, Nandhakumar Sekar.

India on Wednesday announced a 23-member squad for the Merdeka football tournament to be held in Kuala Lumpur from October 13.

The Merdeka Tournament will be a three-team affair involving India, Tajikistan and hosts Malaysia as Palestine had withdrawn from the competition at the 'last minute' on Tuesday.

The Indian men's team will take on Malaysia on October 13 in the tournament opener, while the winning side will face Tajikistan on October 17 as per the revised format.

India have participated twice in this event in 1959 and 1964, finishing as runner-up on both occasions.

India squad: Goalkeepers: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Amrinder Singh, Vishal Kaith. Defenders: Nikhil Poojary, Roshan Singh, Sandesh Jhingan, Anwar Ali, Mehtab Singh, Lalchungnunga, Akash Mishra, Subhasish Bose. Midfielders: Suresh Singh, Anirudh Thapa, Rohit Kumar, Sahal Abdul Samad, Brandon Fernandes, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Udanta Singh, Mahesh Singh Naorem, Liston Colaco, Nandhakumar Sekar. Forwards: Sunil Chhetri, Manvir Singh.