India Football Friendlies: Igor Stimac JUSTIFIES choosing Phurba Lanchenpa over Vishal Kaith

India Football Friendlies: India Tri-Nation Friendly: Vishal Kaith, the Indian Super League (ISL) Golden Glove winner, has been left out of Igor Stimac’s provisional 23-man squad for the upcoming tri-nation tournament. Vishal Kaith has been the best player for ATK Mohun Bagan. However, the inclusion of Mumbai City Fc goalkeeper Phurba Lachenpa alongside Blue Tigers’ mainstay Gurpreet Singh Sandhu raised concerns. Stimac has clarified that Vishal Kaith is still in the running. Follow Indian Super League and Indian Football Team LIVE Updates on InsideSport.IN

India Tri-Nation Friendly: Phurba Lachenpa, Sivasakthi EARN maiden National Team call-up, Igor Stimac…

India Tri-Nation Friendly: Igor Stimac JUSTIFIES choosing Phurba Lanchenpa over Vishal Kaith, ASSERTS ‘ we are not ruling out calling him up’ – Check Out

“He hasn’t been part of the National Team set-up but Vishal has been with us for two years. So we know him and we are not ruling out calling him up. I wanted to use this opportunity to see how Phurba fits in.” said igor Stimac in an interview to justify his selection.

India will host Myanmar and the Kyrgyz Republic at Imphal’s Khuman Lampak Stadium from March 22 to March 28. The players who have been called up will meet in Kolkata on Wednesday for a five-day training camp. Igor Stimac has named a preliminary 23-man squad for the Blue Tigers’ camp in Kolkata, which begins on March 15, 2023. According to an All India Football Federation (AIFF) statement, the tournament’s final squad will be announced following the ISL final.

Igor Stimac on choosing Phurba over Vishal Kaith? 🗣️ : “He hasn’t been part of the NT set-up but Vishal has been with us for two years so we know him and we are not ruling out calling him up. I wanted to use this opportunity to see how Phurba fits in.” [via HT] #IndianFootball pic.twitter.com/CRonsY19p8

— 90ndstoppage (@90ndstoppage) March 14, 2023

Nine of the 23 players called up will play in the ISL final, requiring them to report to camp the day after the Bagan vs. Bengaluru match. The remaining 14 players will report to camp on Wednesday/ Stimac also named 11 backup players, including Vishal Kaith as a reserve.

India Tri-Nation Friendly: Phurba Lachenpa, Sivasakthi EARN maiden National Team call-up, Igor Stimac…

India Tri-Nation Friendly: Igor Stimac JUSTIFIES choosing Phurba Lanchenpa over Vishal Kaith, ASSERTS ‘ we are not ruling out calling him up’ – Check Out

The 2022-23 ISL season was a watershed moment for Phurba Lachenpa. The 25-year-old was tenacious and prompt, and he demonstrated some extraordinary abilities. Throughout the season, the former Shillong Lajong goalkeeper also kept seven clean sheets and saved his team from danger. Lachenpa appeared in every game of the season and rarely made costly mistakes for his team. Lachenpa was also outstanding in the second leg of the semi-finals against Bengaluru, producing one of the season’s best goalkeeping performances. He made eight saves and was dominant in one-on-one situations, as well as with his long and short-range distribution.

Lachenpa had a fantastic season with the Islanders and is currently a goalkeeper who is full of confidence and arguably in the best shape of his life. All of these factors, combined with Amrinder Singh’s underwhelming season with Odisha, provided Igor Stimac with the ideal opportunity to give Lachenpa a chance to represent the Blue Tigers.

On the other hand, Vishal Kaith has been the talk of the town for the past few days. The 26-year-old goalkeeper was instrumental in ATK Mohun Bagan reaching the ISL 2022-23 semi-finals. In the process, he won the Golden Glove award for his 12 clean sheets, two of which came in the playoffs. On Monday, he saved two penalties in Bagan’s 4-3 shootout win over Hyderabad FC in the second leg of their ISL semi-final in Kolkata, securing a title round matchup with Bengaluru FC on March 18.

India Tri-Nation Friendly: Igor Stimac JUSTIFIES choosing Phurba Lanchenpa over Vishal Kaith, ASSERTS ‘ we are not ruling out calling him up’ – Check Out

Provisional squad:

Goalkeepers: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Phurba Lachenpa Tempa, Amrinder Singh.
Defenders: Sandesh Jhingan, Roshan Singh, Anwar Ali, Akash Mishra, Chinglensana Konsham, Rahul Bheke, Mehtab Singh, Glan Martins.
Midfielders: Suresh Wangjam, Rohit Kumar, Anirudh Thapa, Brandon Fernandes, Yasir Mohammad, Ritwik Das, Jeakson Singh, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Bipin Singh.
Forwards: Manvir Singh, Sunil Chhetri, Sivasakthi Narayanan.
Head Coach: Igor Stimac

List of 11 Reserves:

Goalkeepers: Vishal Kaith, Prabhsukhan Gill.
Defenders: Subhasish Bose, Pritam Kotal, Asish Rai, Narender Gahlot.
Midfielders: Liston Colaco, Nikhil Poojary, Sahal Abdul Samad, Naorem Mahesh Singh.
Forwards: Ishan Pandita