AFC Asian Cup Qualifier: Robin Singh-less India set to depart for Laos

New Delhi: A 20-member Indian football team will leave for Laos from New Delhi early on Tuesday for the play-off match of the 2019 AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers on 2 June. Midfielder Vinit Rai has been left out due to an ankle injury he suffered during the last training session in Guwahati. The return leg will be played in Guwahati on 7 June. [caption id=“attachment_2806774” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Indian football team practice ahead of their away trip to Laos. Image Courtesy: Twitter[/caption] India were left to feature in a play-off match to make an entry into the qualification round of the continent’s flagship tournament after they finished at the bottom of their group with just three points during their joint preliminary round campaign of the 2018 FIFA World Cup and 2019 Asian Cup. Head coach Stephen Constantine said that he had to make last minute changes with Vinit suffering an ankle injury. “We had finalised on a list of 21 players who were to travel to Laos but now we will be travelling with a squad of 20 players,” he said. Goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, who became the first-ever Indian player to play in a premier league in Europe, will join the team directly in Laos. Besides Vinit’s injury, the squad has also been hit hard by injuries to other players, seven of whom Constantine feels would have started on any day. Midfielders Rowlin Borges, Pronay Halder, Cabin Lobo, Bikash Jairu and defender Augustine Fernandes were either ruled out or released from the camp owing to injuries. Furthermore, Dhanpal Ganesh and striker Robin Singh have not recovered from the injuries they sustained earlier. Add to that the injuries of CK Vineeth and David Lalriamuana, both of whom could not even kick a ball in the camp despite being summoned, have made it difficult for Constantine to chalk out his strategy at the camp. The Squad: Goalkeepers: Subrata Paul, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Amrinder Singh. Defenders: Rino Anto, Keegan Pereira, Pritam Kotal, Arnab Mondal, Sandesh Jhingan, Chinglensana Singh, Fulganco Cardozo, Narayan Das. Midfielders: Udanta Singh, Halicharan Narzary, Seityasen Singh, Md. Rafique, Eugenson Lyngdoh, Jackiechand Singh, Alwyn George. Forwards: Sumeet Passi, Jeje Lalpekhlua, Sunil Chhetri.