New Delhi, Sep 27 (IANS): Indian women's team head coach Thomas Dennerby has named a 23-member squad for the upcoming friendly matches in the UAE and Bahrain, starting from Saturday, October 2, 2021.

The team, that is currently camping in Jamshedpur with the help of the Government of Jharkhand, will travel to New Delhi on September 29, from where they will travel to the UAE for two friendly matches against the United Arab Emirates national team (October 2) and the Tunisia national team (October 4).

The team will subsequently travel to Bahrain, where they will play two friendlies against the Bahrain national team (October 10) and the Chinese Taipei national team (October 13).

Head coach Thomas Dennerby stated, "After training for about a month in Jharkhand, we are extremely happy to be going for these friendly matches in the UAE and Bahrain. These matches will be essential for us to gauge how far the girls have progressed during the training camp, as they will be pitted against some tough teams."

"We are all looking forward to these matches, and are thankful to the authorities for arranging them during such difficult circumstances in a pandemic," he said.

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Aditi Chauhan, Maibam Linthoingambi Devi, Shreya Hooda.

Defenders: Dalima Chhibber, Sweety Devi, Ritu Rani, Ashalata Devi, Ranjana Chanu, Michel Castanha, Manisa Panna, Astam Oraon.

Midfielders: Sangita Basfore, Indumathi Kathiresan, Sanju, Martina Thokchom.

Forwards: Dangmei Grace, Anju Tamang,Sandhiya Ranganathan, Soumya Guguloth, Manisha Kalyan, Sumati Kumari, Pyari Xaxa, Renu.

Schedule:

October 2: UAE vs India

October 4: India vs Tunisia

October 10: Bahrain vs India

October 13: India vs Chinese Taipei