Anas Edathodika, the Indian defender, has chosen to come out of retirement.
He has been chosen to be part of the national camp, beginning on June 25, for the Hero Intercontinental Cup next month. The tourney will be held from July 7 to July 19 in Ahmedabad's EKA Arena.
Anas had retired from international football in January this year , after the Indian team was knocked out of the AFC Asian Cup in the group stages. Anas has played 18 matches for India.
India head coach Igor Stimac made a host of other changes from the preliminary list of players that had been chosen for the King's Cup. A noteworthy addition was Mandar Rao Dessai in the midfield, along with Ashique Kuruniyan. The inclusion of the two playmakers will strengthen India's attack.
In the defence, Narayan Das was dropped as Sarthak Golui, Narender Gehlot and Anas were roped in.
Among midfielders, Nikhil Poojari, Mandar Rao Dessai and Ashique Kuruniyan were brought in as Bikramjit Singh, Dhanpal Ganesh, Germanpreet Singh, Redeem Tlang, Nandha Kumar and Komal Thatal were all shown the door.
Among forwards, Sumeet Passi was dropped, and no new inclusions were made. No changes were made among the goalkeepers, too.
READ | India to face Tajikistan in Intercontinental Cup opener
India will face Tajikistan in the Intercontinental Cup opener. India, Tajikistan, Syria and Korea DPR are the four nations participating in the tournament. The top two teams from the round robin stage will qualify for the final.
According to the latest FIFA rankings, Syria is ranked 83rd, followed by Tajikistan and DPR Korea — which are placed 120 and 121 respectively. India is ranked 101.
The Blue Tigers lifted the title last year with a victory against Kenya in the final. The other two teams that competed last year were New Zealand and Chinese Taipei.
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