Know your team: India look to maintain momentum against Jordan
The Indian national team will be on the road to play against Jordan on November 17 at the King Abdullah II Stadium in Amman.
The Indian national team will be on the road to play against Jordan on November 17 at the King Abdullah II International Stadium in Amman. The match will also be the first time the two sides will face each other in the international arena.
The Blue Tigers will go into the fixture full of confidence after their impressive performance against the People's Republic of China. The team put on a gritty display and held their illustrious opponents, ranked 21 places above them in FIFA rankings, to a 0-0 draw in their own backyard. India will look to hold on to the momentum with the AFC Asian Cup 2019 just months away. However, the Blue Tigers will be without the talismanic Sunil Chhetri, who is nursing an ankle injury and will not be available for the match.
MAN-IN-CHARGE
India have been a formidable force under the guidance of head coach Stephen Constantine. The Englishman returned to the helm of the Indian national team in January 2015 for his second stint, having coached them previously from 2002 to 2005. India were placed 171st in the FIFA rankings when Constantine took over the reins, and the head coach has worked wonders since then. Under him, India qualified for the AFC Asian Cup for only the fourth time in history and have also jumped up to the 97th spot in the rankings.
PAST RESULTS
In their previous fixture, the Blue Tigers put in a solid defensive performance to keep the mighty Red Dragons at bay and also managed to worry the opposition defence occasionally while going forward. Stephen Constantine's men did lose the final of the recently concluded SAFF Suzuki Cup 2018 to a lower-ranked Maldives side, but it shouldn't worry Indian fans too much considering Constantine opted to field an Under-23 team in the tournament. Before that, the Blue Tigers won the inaugural Hero Intercontinental Cup and remained undefeated throughout the competition.
KEY PLAYERS
The Bengaluru FC custodian has been an influential part of the Indian side in recent years and is known for his shot-stopping abilities. Sandhu put up a valiant performance against the People's Republic of China, producing a string of fine saves to keep a clean sheet and was deservedly adjudged as the man of the match. His presence in goal may prove crucial for the Blue Tigers against Jordan.
In the absence of India's all-time top goalscorer Sunil Chhetri, the responsibility to spearhead the team's attack will fall on Jeje Lalpekhlua. The Chennaiyin FC man has been far from his usual free-scoring self in the ongoing season of the Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) and is yet to find the back of the net for his club side. However, the Mizo sniper is a proven goal scorer, both for club and country, and it may just take one goal to turn things around.
SQUAD LIST
Goalkeepers: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Amrinder Singh
Defenders: Pritam Kotal, Nishu Kumar, Sandesh Jhingan, Anas Edathodika, Salam Ranjan Singh, Subhasish Bose, Narayan Das, Jerry Lalrinzuala
Midfielders: Udanta Singh, Jackichand Singh, Pronay Halder, Anirudh Thapa, Vinit Rai, Halicharan Narzary, Ashique Kuruniyan, Germanpreet Singh
Forwards: Jeje Lalpekhlua, Sumeet Passi, Balwant Singh, Manvir Singh
