Blue Tigers head coach, Igor Stimac on Saturday, announced a 23-member squad for the upcoming 2022 FIFA World Cup and 2023 AFC Asian Cup joint second round Qualifier against Bangladesh. The fixture, which will be India’s third in Group E of the qualifying campaign, is scheduled to be played on October 15 at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata.

Despite picking up a recent knock, defender Rahul Bheke has been named in the squad, with the likes of Nishu Kumar and Jerry Lalrinzuala missing out in defence. Sandesh Jhingan, who injured his knee in the friendly against NorthEast United FC, has also been left out.

Moving further up the pitch, the Croat has named a powerful unit, with the likes of Udanta Singh, Sahal Abdul Samad and Lallianzuala Chhangte all finding a place in the squad. Halicharan Narzary and Farukh Choudhary are the only ones to miss out from midfield and attack, respectively.

With one point from two matches, the Blue Tigers will be hoping for nothing less than a win when they play their neighbours on Tuesday. Bangladesh, meanwhile, recently lost against Qatar and are yet to open their points tally after two fixtures.

Here’s the full 23-member list:

Goalkeepers: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Amrinder Singh, Kamaljit Singh

Defenders: Pritam Kotal, Rahul Bheke, Adil Khan, Narender Gahlot, Sarthak Golui, Anas Edathodika, Mandar Rao Dessai, Subhasish Bose.

Midfielders: Udanta Singh, Nikhil Poojary, Vinit Rai, Anirudh Thapa, Sahal Abdul Samad, Raynier Fernandes, Brandon Fernandes, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Ashique Kuruniyan.

Forwards: Sunil Chhetri, Balwant Singh, Manvir Singh.