Chhetri joins India squad for Singapore qualifier

Indian football captain Sunil Chhetri, along with Bengaluru FC teammates Rahul Bheke and Roshan Singh Naorem, on Monday joined the national team’s preparatory camp in Bengaluru ahead of the AFC Asian Cup qualifier matches against Singapore.

With their inclusion, the camp now has 28 of the 30 players named by head coach Khalid Jamil. India face Singapore away on October 9 and at home on October 14 in decisive qualifying fixtures.

The camp had begun on September 20 with just 18 players, as 14, including Chhetri, were initially unavailable due to club commitments. Bengaluru FC, East Bengal, and Punjab FC had retained seven, three, and four players respectively, promising their release later this month.

AIFF confirmed the trio’s arrival via 'X', noting they will have limited days to train before India departs for Singapore. Other late joiners include Farukh Choudhary, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Rahim Ali, Muhammed Uvais, Pramveer, Nikhil Prabhu, Muhammed Suhail, Anwar Ali, and Mahesh Singh Naorem.

Jamil had earlier appealed for a balance between club and national duties, stressing the shortage of players, particularly in defence, during the early phase of the camp. However, clubs are not required to release players before the FIFA international window from October 6 to 14.

The coach also excluded players from Mohun Bagan Super Giant and FC Goa due to their involvement in the AFC Champions League Two campaign. Mohun Bagan were to face Sepahan SC of Iran on September 30, while FC Goa played FC Istiklol of Tajikistan on October 1. Mohun Bagan later pulled out as their foreign players refused to travel following advisories from their countries.

With the squad now nearly complete, Jamil aims to fine-tune preparations and integrate the late arrivals ahead of India’s high-stakes qualifiers.