Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], September 3 (ANI): As the international friendly match between India and Brazil is only a month away, former Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly praised Brazil’s footballing pedigree and said he hopes they visit India with a strong squad.
He believes playing against top-level opponents would provide valuable exposure and help Indian footballers improve. The international friendly match between India and Brazil is scheduled for October 3 in Kolkata.
India will play three international friendlies against higher-ranked opposition, facing Panama on September 26 in Bengaluru before taking on five-time world champions Brazil on October 3 and two-time world champions Uruguay on October 6, both in Kolkata.
"Football is a brilliant sport, and I really enjoy watching it. Brazil is one of the greatest footballing nations in the world, so I hope they come here with a very strong team. It will give our footballers valuable exposure because that’s what you need. When you play against players who are better than you, it helps you improve and become a better footballer," Sourav Ganguly told the reporters on Thursday.
Ganguly also stated that the arrival of Brazil, Uruguay and Panama in Bengal is a major boost for Indian football, providing players with valuable international exposure and opportunities to develop.
He also stressed the importance of making such high-level fixtures a consistent feature.
"It’s very good for Indian football, and it’s not just Brazil. Uruguay and Panama are also coming to Bengal to play football. Hopefully, this continues consistently because playing against such teams will give our players a lot of valuable exposure and help them develop," Ganguly added.
The three matches will provide India with valuable opportunities to test themselves against World Cup opposition, with all three nations having featured at the FIFA World Cup earlier this year.
India football squad for Brazil, Uruguay and Panama friendlies
Goalkeepers: Albino Gomes, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Prabhsukhan Singh Gill, Som Kumar
Defenders: Abhishek Singh Tekcham, Akash Mishra, Anwar Ali, Bijoy Varghese, Hmingthanmawia Ralte, Jay Gupta, Pramveer, Ricky Meetei Haobam
Midfielders: Anirudh Thapa, Ashique Kuruniyan, Farukh Choudhary, Lalengmawia Ralte, Macarton Nickson, Mohammed Sanan, Ricky Shabong, Sahal Abdul Samad
Forwards: Edmund Lalrindika, Irfan Yadwad, Manvir Singh, Rahim Ali, Ryan Williams, Vikram Partap Singh
Head coach: Khalid Jamil
Reserves: Hrithik Tiwari, Chinglensana Singh Konsham, Roshan Singh Naorem, Suresh Singh Wangjam. (ANI)
"It will give our footballers valuable exposure": Sourav Ganguly hails Brazil, Uruguay, Panama friendlies as major boost for Indian football
