New Delhi, Nov 13 : India's defensive stalwart Sandesh Jinghan, who was sidelined with injury since January, was named in the 26-man probables list for the friendly against Malaysia. Skipper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu has hailed his return and compared his presence to that of Sunil Chhetri.

'For me personally I am very happy (with Jhingan's return) because I have someone other than Amrinder (Singh) to have a conversation with because as you know the squad is pretty young and I am on the other side of the age parameter. So having someone like him who I can talk to in the dressing room makes me very happy.

'I am also very grateful for Sandesh's return because obviously he is a very important pillar for his club and the national team. I just hope he keeps himself healthy and helps Indian football like he has in the past. He is a very good defender and like Sunil (Chhetri) bhai, he is a once in a generation player,' Gurpreet told IANS in a virtual press conference.

Jhinghan suffered a knee injury during the first half of India's AFC Asian Cup game against Syria and was forced to miss the rest of the competition alongside the FIFA WC Qualifiers and the end of the 2023/24 ISL campaign in which Goa finished in third place, just three points behind ISL Shield winners Mohun Bagan Super Giants.

The 31-year old center back returned to action as he started and played the entire 90 minutes in the 3-0 win over Bengaluru FC, the latter's first league loss of the season, and also registered a 2-1 victory over Punjab FC which saw him being called up for the training camp for the game against Malaysia on November 18.

The friendly against Malaysia at the Gachibowli Stadium in Hyderabad will be the curtain to what can only be described as a disappointing year for Indian football. After missing out on the FIFA WC Qualifiers and Igor Stimac's less than smooth exit from the coaching staff, not to mention Sunil Chhetri's retirement, India is still looking for their first win under head coach Manolo Marquez. The game against Malaysia can prove to be a good opportunity for the Spaniard to get in extra training days with the side due to the team being scheduled to play only one game in the ongoing FIFA international window.

/IANS