India gear up for Tajikistan test ahead of U-23 Asian Cup qualifiers
Drawn in Group E alongside Bahrain, Qatar and Brunei Darussalam, India will be aiming to qualify for the continental event for the first time when the qualifiers are held in September.
The match will be played at the Hisor Central Stadium near Dushanbe, with the second fixture against Kyrgyz Republic scheduled for Saturday.
New Delhi, Jun 17 (PTI) India men's football team will take on hosts Tajikistan in a friendly match on Wednesday, kicking off a crucial two-match tour that serves as preparation for the AFC U-23 Asian Cup 2026 Qualifiers later this year.
The ongoing tour is seen as a vital tune-up in terms of acclimatisation, team cohesion, and tactical fine-tuning.
The Naushad Moosa-coached 23-member squad had been in camp in Kolkata since June 1 before flying out to Dushanbe.
After arriving in the Tajik capital on Monday evening, the team held a mobility session Tuesday morning and followed it up with a 90-minute evening training session at the venue, which is located around 25 kilometres from the city.
Tajikistan U23s were last in action in November 2024 when they lost two friendlies against United Arab Emirates, both by a 0-3 margin.
At the AFC U23 Asian Cup 2024, Tajikistan were knocked out in the group stage after defeats to Iraq and Saudi Arabia and a win over Thailand.
Moosa, however, is not reading too much into past results and is focused on the task at hand.
'We know Tajikistan are a strong team. They qualified for the U23 Asian Cup last year and also did well at the senior Asian Cup,' Moosa stated in AIFF website.
'The players will, of course, be different tomorrow. The coach has changed. We just have to go out there and do our job right,' added Moosa.
Despite Dushanbe being located 700 metres above sea level, the weather is hot at this time of the year, soaring to almost 40 degrees during the day.
What the Blue Colts mainly have to adjust to is the artificial turf surface of the Hisor Central Stadium, located 25 kilometres from the city of Dushanbe.
Moosa hoped for a good turnout at the 20,000-capacity venue.
'The weather is pretty warm. It's normal for us. It's always good to have supporters in the stands. We would love to have them cheer for us,' said Moosa.
'Most of our players are coming here for the first time, so it would be great motivation for them. I think the last time the Indian senior team played in Tajikistan, there were a lot of Indian fans in the stadium, so let's hope for the same.' This tour marks Moosa's second assignment with the India U-23 side, having previously overseen their two friendlies against Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur last year.
The 53-year-old has been building momentum and instilling belief in the squad during this ongoing preparation phase.
'The boys are very eager for tomorrow. I've been talking to them about how important these games will be for us,' added Moosa.
Kickoff: 8:30pm IST. PTI TAP APA APA
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India.com
38 minutes ago
- India.com
Air India tragedy casts shadow over Team India's camp in England, 'Want to make nation happy again', says Rishabh Pant
Rishabh Pant. New Delhi: The tragedy that took place on June 13 with the Air India flight has shocked the nation completely, and the country is yet to recover after the desperating event. It was a flight to London, Boeing crashed a few after takeoff in Ahmedabad proving to be fatal to more than 270 passengers and its crew and including its captain. Incredibly, just a single individual, by name Vishwas Kumar Ramesh, who sat at 11A survived the crash. Speaking to the media after the incident, Rishabh Pant, the vice-captain of the Indian team seemed to be in a state of shock. Pant is in England amidst a five match Test series that is to commence on June 20. The wicketkeeper-batter also disclosed the fact that the accident had left the country sad and the Indian cricket team would do its best to make the country cheerful again during the impending Tests. 'See, what happened in the aircraft—I think the whole of India were saddened, disheartened. At the same time, the only thing from our side is, we are going to be sticking to them how we can make India happy again. Obviously, emotions are going to be high because of what happened in the crash. But at the same time, we want to put our best foot forward for the country,' he said. The Air India crash also witnessed a postponement in the naming of the Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy that was earlier called the Pataudi Trophy. The upcoming Test series, will mark a new chapter in Indian cricket, as new generation will take over the charge, with Shubman Gill named as skipper. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma no longer belong to the team as they announced their retirement from Tests. On the other hand, R Ashwin retired from all forms of cricket during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
41 minutes ago
- First Post
Kapil Dev in disbelief over Pataudi Trophy being renamed Anderson-Tendulkar: 'Does this also happen?'
Besides reacting on Pataudi Trophy being renamed to Anderson-Tendulkar, legendary Kapil Dev also sent a message to Indian captain Shubman Gill. read more Former Indian captain Kapil Dev is in disbelief that the Pataudi Trophy has been renamed to the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy ahead of the upcoming England-India five-match Test series . The trophy for the Test series hosted by England against India was renamed to Pataudi Trophy in 2007 to honour former India captain Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi. Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi and his father, Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi, both captained India and also played county cricket in India. Considering their deep-rooted relationship with England, the trophy was named the Pataudi Trophy. However, now, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has decided to change the name to the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Kapil Dev feeling 'strange' at Pataudi Trophy being renamed Former Indian cricketer Kapil Dev, who led the team to its first World Cup trophy in England, was asked about the name change of the trophy at a recent event. Kapil Dev expressed disbelief at the renaming of the trophy but added that, in the end, cricket is what matters. 'It feels a little strange… like, does this also happen? But that's okay, everything works in cricket. At the end of the day, there is no difference. Cricket is cricket. The cricket on the field should be the same,' Kapil Dev said. Also Read | Gautam Gambhir: With rising influence and senior exits, India coach faces his toughest test yet The name change was also criticised by fans, followed by the legendary Sachin Tendulkar reportedly intervening to convince the ECB to preserve Pataudi's legacy and keep his name attached to the series. The latest media reports state that the winning captain of the series will be given the Pataudi Medal for Excellence. Coming to the matches. The series starts at Leeds on 20 June and it will be a tough Test for Shubman Gill, who has been handed over the captaincy after Rohit Sharma's retirement. Team India is also without Virat Kohli, who recently retired from the longer format. Also Read: Kapil Dev has advised Gill to play fearless cricket and not be bothered about the expectations. 'There are no expectations. Just go, play, express yourself. That's more important,' Kapil said.
NDTV
an hour ago
- NDTV
"A Bat, A Blessing..." 17-Year-Old CSK Wonderkid's Unmissable Tribute For Rohit Sharma Ahead Of England Tour
Ahead of leaving for the England tour, India Under-19 skipper Ayush Mhatre met the right-hand batter Rohit Sharma at the latter's residence on Wednesday, where the 38-year-old gifted the youngster his bat. He received a signed bat from the Indian ODI skipper before departing for his tour of England. The India U-19 team is scheduled to tour England from June 24 to July 23, playing a series of Youth ODIs and multi-day games against the England U-19 side. Ayush Mhatre took to Instagram and posted a picture of himself along with Rohit Sharma with a caption, "A bat, a blessing, and a memory of a lifetime -- thank you Rohit da." BCCI's Junior Cricket Committee has announced D Deepesh and Naman Pushpak as replacements for Aditya Rana and Khilan Patel, respectively, for the upcoming India U19 tour of England, according to a media advisory from BCCI. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ayush Mhatre (@ayush_m255) The series is scheduled to take place from June 24 to July 23, 2025. The month-long tour will include a 50-over warm-up match, a five-match Youth One-Day series, and two Multi-Day matches against England U19. Both Deepesh and Naman were part of the standby players' list for the tour. Aditya sustained a stress fracture in his lower back, while Khilan suffered a stress reaction in his right leg during the ongoing high-performance camp at the BCCI Centre of Super Kings' (CSK) opening batter Ayush Mhatre will lead the squad. Mhatre has impressed in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, scoring 206 runs in six games at a remarkable strike rate of 187.27. He narrowly missed out on a well-deserved century, getting dismissed for 94 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). The 14-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is also in the squad. The youngster made headlines this season when he smashed a 38-ball 101 against Gujarat Titans (GT) for Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Jaipur, becoming the youngest ever centurion in men's T20 cricket. His century, which came in just 35 balls, is now the second-fastest in IPL history. He finished the season with 252 runs in seven matches, averaging 36.00 with a phenomenal strike rate of 206.56, including one century and a half-century. India will begin their tour with a 50-over warm-up match on June 24 at Loughborough University. The first One-Day match will be held on June 27 at Hove, followed by the second and third matches on June 30 and July 2 at Northampton. The fourth and fifth One-Dayers are scheduled for July 5 and 7 in Worcester. Following the white-ball series, the team will play two multi-day matches. The first will take place from July 12 to 15 in Beckenham, and the second will be held from July 20 to 23 in Chelmsford. India U19 Squad: Ayush Mhatre (Captain), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Vihaan Malhotra, Maulyarajsinh Chavda, Rahul Kumar, Abhigyan Kundu (Vice-Captain & WK), Harvansh Singh (WK), R. S. Ambrish, Kanishk Chouhan, Henil Patel, Yudhajit Guha, Pranav Raghavendra, Mohammed Enaan, Anmoljeet Singh, D. Deepesh, Naman Pushpak.
