Three reasons why Team India will win the 2018 SAFF Championship

The twelfth edition of South Asia's premier tournament will feature seven countries- hosts Bangladesh, India, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Pakistan, and Maldives. The teams are divided into two groups A and B with Group A consisting of Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, and Pakistan whereas Group B comprises of the defending champions India, Sri Lanka, and Maldives. The top two teams from each group will qualify for the semi-finals, the winners of which will meet in the summit-clash on September 15 in Dhaka.Team India will take on Sri Lanka in their opening fixture on September 5 before their final group game against Maldives four days later. India, who won the last edition in December 2015 - January 2016, have a bright chance to defend their title this time. Let us now look at three reasons why the Blue Tigers will successfully defend their SAFF Championship title.Team India squad for the 2018 SAFF Championship:Goalkeepers: Vishal Kaith, Kabir Thaufiq, Kamaljit Singh, Prabhsukhan Gill.Defenders: Nishu Kumar, Umesh Perambra, Davinder Singh, Chinglensana Singh, Salam Ranjan Singh, Sarthak Golui, Lalruatthara, Subhasish Bose, Jerry Lalrinzuala.Midfielders: Vinit Rai, Germanpreet Singh, Anirudh Thapa, Rohit Kumar, Suresh Singh Wangjam, Arjun Jayaraj, Nikhil Poojari, Isaac Vanmalsawma, Nandha Kumar, Udanta Singh, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Ashique Kuruniyan, Vignesh D, Rahim Ali.Forwards: Sumeet Passi, Daniel Lahlimpuia, Hitesh Sharma, Alen Deory, Manvir Singh, Kivi Zhimomi, Rahul KP.#3) Young and highly talented squadThe Indian squad comprises of young and talented players this timeCoach Stephen Constantine announced a 34 man squad for the 2018 edition of the SAFF Championship which will be held in Bangladesh from September 4 to 15. Many Team India regulars were left out of the squad including talisman Sunil Chhetri, star defender Sandesh Jhingan and shot-stopper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu. The squad comprises of four Under 19 players who represented India at the 2017 FIFA Under 17 World Cup held in India-Prabhsukhan Singh Gill, Suresh Singh Wangjam, Rahim Ali and Rahul KP, all of whom are part of AIFF’s developmental team Indian Arrows who ply their trade in the I-League.Apart from these four highly talented Under 19 players, the squad comprises of 29 Under-23 players with forward Sumeet Passi being the exception (senior player). Highly rated FC Pune City goalkeeper Vishal Kaith has also been drafted in for the tournament. The defense looks so strong even in the absence of stars like Jhingan and Anas with young players like Lalruatthara, Jerry Lalrinzuala, Nishu Kumar and Subhasish Bose making the cut. The midfield looks absolutely stunning with ISL winning Chennaiyin FC stars Anirudh Thapa, Germanpreet Singh, the pacy Bengaluru FC boy Udanta Singh, and bright prospects Lallianzuala Chhangte and Ashique Kuruniyan.The forward comprises of ATK youngster Hitesh Sharma, Daniel Lahlimpuia, Manvir Singh, Kivi Zhimomi, Rahul KP, and Alan Deory. With a large pool of highly talented players, the squad couldn't have been any better without most of the seniors. Most of these players made the squad on the basis of exceptional performances for their respective clubs (ISL and I-League). Watch out for the pacy and highly skilled youngsters as they represent India for the South Asian glory this September.

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