With the Indian team all set to return to international football in March, members of the Blue Tigers expressed their delight over the two matches being finalised in Dubai against Oman on March 25, and UAE on March 29 respectively.
"It's a brilliant piece of news not just for us players but for Indian football overall that we will be playing again at the international arena," All India Football Federation's (AIFF) official website quoted goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu as saying.
"With international sports having shut down owing to the pandemic situation, I am aware as to how difficult it is to arrange matches under the current scenario. I need to thank the All India Football Federation and the coaching staff for arranging this," he continued. "Both the matches are against very tough oppositions whom we would love to play against, and test ourselves."
Central defender Sandesh Jhingan dubbed the forthcoming two matches as "massive."
"It's a great piece of news which the entire nation was waiting for. It's massive for the fans, and for us players as well as we haven't played an international match in the last one and half years. Thanks to the AIFF for arranging this," Jhingan stressed.
"It's important for us to get back into the system of Igor Stimac, start training and improving. There are crucial games coming up in June which would be followed by the Qualifiers of the Asian Cup China 2023. The camp in March is just extra days to train and improve together as a team. I am extremely happy," he averred.
As part of the preparation for the two matches against Oman and UAE in March, the national team will assemble in a preparatory camp in Dubai from March 15 onwards.
( With inputs from ANI )
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