Gurpreet Singh Sandhu named India captain for Qatar clash after Sunil Chhetri's retirement | FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifier

Following Sunil Chhetri's retirement, the Blue Tigers have announced Gurpreet Singh Sandhu as captain for the World Cup Qualifier clash against Qatar on Tuesday, June 11. Chhetri led India for more than a decade.

The veteran goalkeeper is right now the most experienced and longest-serving player in the national team with 72 appearances after Chhetri hung up his boots. On Gurpreet donning the armband, head coach Igor Stimac said in an AIFF press release:

"Gurpreet was one of our captains alongside Sunil and Sandesh (Jhingan) for the past five years, so naturally he is the one to take responsibility at this moment."

The 32-year-old has captained the national side on 10 previous occasions. He has been India's first-choice keeper for over a decade now. Even though Gurpreet had a few underwhelming performances at club level, Stimac has continued to back him and the shot-stopper has continued to repay that faith.

Against Kuwait in their previous outing, the Blue Tigers backline would've been in a real fix had it not been for Gurpreet Singh's spectacular saves.

He has accumulated 28 clean sheets across his 13 years in the national team. The list of his match-saving performances is endless, but the heroics over the two legs against Qatar in the 2022 World Cup Qualifiers stand out.

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A look at India's 23-member squad for the World Cup 2026 Qualifier clash against Qatar

Igor Stimac announced a 23-member squad for the Blue Tigers' clash against Qatar on Saturday, June 8. Apart from Sunil Chhetri, who brought down the curtains on his international career, defenders Amey Ranawade, Lalchungnunga, and Subhasish Bose from the initial squad didn't get a nod. As per the AIFF release, Bose was released at his request for personal reasons.

Taking about the exclusion of Ranawade and Lalchungnunga, Stimac said:

"I was happy to have both of them with us. We worked on various aspects of their game for the future. We had a nice talk before we released them and they know which parts of their game they need to grow for the upcoming season. I hope both of them will use the time ahead to improve and come back stronger."

India's 23-member squad for Qatar clash

Goalkeepers: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (C) (GK), Amrinder Singh, Vishal Kaith.

Defenders: Anwar Ali, Jay Gupta, Mehtab Singh, Narender, Nikhil Poojary, Rahul Bheke.

Midfielders: Anirudh Thapa, Brandon Fernandes, Edmund Lalrindika, Jeakson Singh Thounaojam, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Liston Colaco, Mahesh Singh Naorem, Nandhakumar Sekar, Sahal Abdul Samad, Suresh Singh Wangjam.

Forwards: Manvir Singh, Rahim Ali, Vikram Partap Singh, David Lalhlansanga.