New Delhi: Defender Raju Gaikwad has been named captain for Indian football team's pre-Olympic qualifier against Qatar. India play Qatar on June 19 at the Al Sadd Stadium in Doha and at the Balewadi Sports Complex, Pune on June 23. The under-23 Indian squad underwent a short preparatory camp in Pune ahead of the qualifiers.
While admitting that a tough challenge awaits them, coach Desmond Bulpin expressed confidence of a good showing from his wards. "I am not saying we will win, but can win. It's a tough task, no doubt," he had said. The middle-east nation is ranked 92, 52 places above India in FIFA rankinfs.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Laxmikant Kattimani (Dempo SC), Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (Indian Arrows).
Defenders: Raju Eknath Gaikwad (Capt.), Deepak Devrani, Abhishek Das (all Indian Arrows); Arnab Mondal (Chirag United), Saba Saleel (ONGC).
PTI