The lone noteworthy face in the 17-member Indian squad for the Hangzhou Asian Games was veteran striker Sunil Chhetri, as the All India Football Federation (AIFF) eventually managed to stitch together a second-tier team, but head coach Igor Stimac's presence is still in doubt.
Because the Asian Games football competition timetable overlaps with the ISL, most clubs have shown reluctance to release the 22 players named in the Indian squad.
However, after lengthy and tense negotiations, the AIFF was able to reveal an under-strength lineup comprised of nine players from the original 22, including Chhetri, with the remainder made up of inexperienced players from the clubs.
The national federation commended the Indian Super League clubs and the FSDL "for coordinating with it for the release of players" even though the team was put together just three days before its departure for China.
The Indian Squad:
Gurmeet Singh, Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem, Sumit Rathi, Narender Gahlot, Amarjit Singh Kiyam, Samuel James, Rahul KP, Abdul Rabeeh Anjukandan, Ayush Dev Chhetri, Bryce Miranda, Azfar Noorani, Rahim Ali, Vincy Bareto, Sunil Chhetri, Rohit Danu, Gurkirat Singh, Aniket Jadhav.
(With PTI inputs)
