India head to Dubai for friendlies against Oman, UAE

Agencies | New Delhi

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Sunil Chettri was the notable omission in head coach Igor Stimac's squad for India's international friendlies against Oman and UAE in Dubai later this month.

The talismanic Chettri has been forced to skip the tour after testing positive for COVID-19 and is currently self-isolating.

Brandon Fernandes, Rahul Bheke, Sahal Abdul Samad and Asish Rai also miss out as they are currently recuperating from injuries, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) reported.

Stimac named a 27-strong squad for the friendlies, which will be India's first matches since November 2019.

India meets Oman on March 25 with UAE to follow four days later. The squad will leave for Dubai on Monday.

Stimac will use the friendlies to gauge his players ahead of the resumption of the Asian Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and AFC Asian Cup China 2023.