Thomas Cherian named skipper as India eye win over Mongolia in AFC U20 qualifiers

Vientiane (Laos), Sep 24 (IANS) India men's U20 head coach Ranjan Chaudhuri has named defender Thomas K Cherian as the captain of the side ahead of India's AFC U20 Asian Cup 2025 qualifiers clash against Mongolia.

India will kick off the proceedings in Group G at the Lao National Stadium KM16 against Mongolia on Wednesday. The top teams from each group, along with the five best second-placed teams from 10 groups will qualify for the main tournament in China next year.

Chaudhuri outlined his side’s intentions at the very outset of the pre-tournament press conference.

“We’ve been preparing well for the last three months, and the boys are ready for the challenge. Of course, our aim is to qualify for the AFC U20 Asian Cup for the first time, which will set a great precedent for our boys. Not only will it be a good experience for them all, but it will also put India on the Asian stage at this age group level,” Chaudhuri said.

Facing Mongolia in their first match, the Indian U20 men are keen on beginning the qualifiers with three points.

"The first match of any tournament is crucial, and we must ensure that we get three points from it. That would set the tone for us. Mongolia are a very good side, and we have to be at our best, but we will try to maintain our focus and remain positive," said the head coach.

India reached Vientiane on Monday evening, and after a night’s rest, Chaudhuri’s first course of action on Tuesday morning was to gather the entire squad together and announce Cherian as the captain.

The young defender took the responsibility on his shoulders instantly. “We have a great responsibility from our nation, and we’ve prepared well for it. The mindset of the boys is extremely good, and we just have to do our job with a positive mindset," he said.

For Mongolia, who arrived in Laos a couple of days before India, it is a matter of acclimatising in time to play on natural turf.

Mongolia head coach Anar Batchuluun said, "We thought the weather conditions would be the biggest factor for us, but we have been pleasantly surprised by it. The only thing we have to adjust to is the natural turf on which we will play, as all the turfs back home are artificial."

"We’ve got India in our first match, and they are a very strong team, but we will try our best. We have done our research on all the teams, and we will play accordingly," he added.

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