Under-20 football team for SAF Games

Midfielder Zaidinmawia Hmar will lead India in the football competition of the South Asian Games, starting in Colombo, Sri Lanka, later this month.

A 20-member squad comprising entirely of Under-20 players was announced on Thursday and the All India Football Federation is using the tournament to prepare the team for the AFC Youth Cup, starting on October 29 in Bangalore.

All other countries at the SAF Games will field their senior teams.

The team will be under the supervision of chief coach Islam Akhmedov while B Diengdoh will be the team manager and Hemanta Dora the goalkeeping coach.

Dipti Kumar Ghosh will accompany the team as physiotherapist.

India open their campaign at the SAF Games with a match against Afghanistan on August 14.

It then faces Nepal on August 16 and Bangladesh on August 19.

The semi-finals will be played on August 24 with the final is scheduled for August 26.

India, which sent its Under-20 side for the previous edition of the Games in Islamabad in 2004, exited in the semi-finals, losing 1-0 to the hosts.

The Indian squad for the 2006 competition has three goalkeepers, four defenders, nine midfielders and four strikers.

The squad:

Goalkeepers: Shilton Paul, Souvik Mondal, Premjit Singh

Defenders: Baljit Sahni, Rakesh Masih, Gobin Singh, Baldeep Singh

Midfielders: Zaidinmawia Hmar (captain), H Noaba Singh, Lalkamal Bhowmik, Lalmarsawma Hmar, O P Lepcha, Hirohito Elangbam, Lalramluaha, Branco Vincent Cardozo, Malsawmdawngliana.

Strikers: Reisangmi Vashum, Vimal Pariyar, Sushil Kumar Singh, Beevan D'Mello.

Officials: B Diengdoh (manager), Islam Akhmedov (chief coach), Hemanta Dora (goalkeeping coach), Dipti Kumar Ghosh (physiotherapist).