Head coach Bibiano Fernandes announced the 23-member India squad for the SAFF U19 Championship, which will be held in Arunachal Pradesh from May 9 to 18.
The Blue Colts arrived in Itanagar on April 30 with a 25-member probables squad and have been training in the city ahead of the subcontinental tournament, after an initial camp in Bengaluru.
Fernandes said, “We started more than a month back in Bengaluru with around 50 scouted players, who appeared for the trials. I was not surprised when I saw the talent that these boys have. I was really happy with the quality of scouting conducted to find these players. It has been a long process of building the team from there on.
The 48-year-old, who had won SAFF junior championships on three different occasions, stressed the importance of the acclimatisation that has been afforded to the team.
“It was nice of the Federation to get us here early to acclimatise to the altitude, the ground, the weather, and everything else. We’ve also played some practice matches, both in Bengaluru and in Itanagar, which have really helped us develop as a team,” he said. “We’re thankful to the Arunachal Pradesh government and everyone who is working behind the scenes to give us the best facilities available. I have no doubt that going forward, we will be in safe hands.”
India have been drawn in Group B of the championship, alongside Nepal and Sri Lanka, and begin their campaign on May 9 against the latter, at the Golden Jubilee Stadium, at 7.30 pm IST.
