Sunil Chhetri makes a comeback to the Indian football team for International Friendly against Jordan

But has been benched due to injuries. However, the all-time leading goal-scorer for India is eager to come back. On Tuesday, the talismanic forward returned to the Indian football team after a six-month-long break when he was listed in the 25-member squad for the international friendly against Jordan in Doha on May 28. 

National coach Igor Stimac announced the squad and picked the players from an extended training camp in Kolkata. Besides Chhetri's return, Ishan Pandita has also reemerged in the forward line in place of VP Suhair and injured Rahim Ali. The lineup of midfielders includes Glan Martins, Ritwik Das, Udanta Singh, Sahal Abdul Samad, Suresh Wangjam and Aashique Kuriniyan. Pronay Halder and Danish Bhat have been sidelined. Meanwhile, the defence includes the likes of Akash Mishra, Rahul Bheke, Harmanjot Singh Khabra, Anwar Ali, Roshan Singh, Sandesh Jhingan, Subhashish Bose and Pritam Kotal.

Minor tweaks in the squad before the AFC Asian Cup final round qualifiers

Although most of the members have been retained, including Gurpreet Singh Sandhu and Amrinder Singh, who have remained constant due to their consistency, Laxmikath Kattimani has been named in place Prabhsukhan Singh Gill after his decent gameplay in the Indian Super League final between Hyderabad FC and Kerala Blasters. The men in blue have been camping in Bellary and Kolkata as a build-up to the AFC Asian Cup final round qualifiers. They have been playing practise matches against ATK Mohun Bagan, the Hero I-League and Hero Santosh Trophy All-Stars team and the West Bengal team. They will fly to Doha on May 25, where they will resume training before taking on Jordan.

Once the friendly match is over, the team will return to Kolkata on May 30 and then continue to practice for the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers. The 25-member squad now has goalkeepers Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Laxmikanth Kattimani, and Amrinder Singh. The clan of defenders has Rahul Bheke, Akash Mishra, Harmanjot Singh Khabra, Anwar Ali, Roshan Singh, Sandesh Jhingan, Subhashish Bose, and Pritam Kotal. The midfielders include Jeakson Singh, Anirudh Thapa, Brandon Fernandes, Glan Martins, Ritwik Das, Udanta Singh, Sahal Abdul Samad, Yasir Mohammad, Suresh Wangjam, Ashique Kuruniyan, Liston Colaco. You will witness Ishan Pandita, Sunil Chhetri, and Manvir Singh among the forwards.