Five big names are making a return to Indian football team squad for games against New Zealand
Vishal Kaith is back in the Indian football team squad.
The Indian football team is scheduled to play New Zealand in the upcoming international break. The Blue Tigers will play the All Whites on 12th November in Auckland and on 15th November in Christchurch.
Khalid Jamil’s side played an inspiring 1-1 draw against Panama before losing to Brazil and Uruguay in the last international break. Though India lost to the two football giants, they did play a respectable brand of football in the games.
Heading into the two friendlies against New Zealand, the Indian squad has seen a shuffle. Here are five big players who have been welcomed back in the 23-man Indian squad that will be travelling Down Under.
Vishal Kaith (Mohun Bagan SG)
Catch Every Update, Anytime, Anywhere
Khalid Jamil had sidelined Vishal Kaith for Gurpreet Singh Sandhu after taking over the reins of the Indian football team from Manolo Marquez. However, going into the games against New Zealand, Kaith has been called back into the squad while the Bengaluru FC goalkeeper is dropped this time around.
Vishal Kaith has had a good start to his Indian Super League 2026-27 campaign, making 16 saves in five league games. The Mohun Bagan goalkeeper was also awarded the Man of the Match award in the 1-0 win over Chennaiyin FC, where Kaith made six big saves and kept a clean sheet.
The two-time ISL glove winner will certainly be looking to make the most of this opportunity and seal his spot as the starting goalkeeper for the Indian team over the next few years.
Also Read: India head coach Khalid Jamil names 23-member squad for New Zealand friendlies
Jithin MS (North East United)
Jithin MS has deservedly been called up to represent the Indian national team once again in the upcoming international break. The 28-year-old has had a wonderful start to his ISL 2026-27 season, scoring 2 goals and providing 1 assist in 5 games.
The Kerala-born winger has had a total of six shots on target and has created eight chances in five league games so far. Hence, it will not be a surprise if Khalid Jamil includes him in the playing XI in one of the games against New Zealand.
Jithin has made four appearances for the Indian national football team, with his last coming in the penalty win over Oman in the CAFA Nations Cup 2025.
Lalremtluanga Fanai (Bengaluru FC)
The 22-year-old made his Indian national team debut on 18th November 2025, playing the final few minutes of the match against Bangladesh in the AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers, where India lost 1-0. Since then, Lalremtluanga Fanai has been sidelined by Khalid Jamil from the national squad.
The Bengaluru FC midfielder has started his ISL 2026-27 campaign positively, starting all four games for his club and also producing an assist. The defensive midfielder won 16 duels and made 22 contributions, following up on a good ISL 2025-26 season where Fanai had 4 assists in 13 games.
With Apuia not picked up in the squad due to an injury, Fanai has a good chance to make his debut in the Indian starting XI against the All Whites.
Liston Colaco (Mohun Bagan)
The Mohun Bagan player last represented India in March 2026, when the Blue Tigers beat Hong Kong 2-1 in Kochi. Liston Colaco has had an okay start to this ISL campaign, picking up one assist in five games, but given the player’s standards, he can do much more on the field.
Liston will be fighting for a spot on the left wing along with Ashique Kuruniyan, who started all the games for India in the last international break. Expect the Mohun Bagan player to come on as a substitute, at least in the first friendly against New Zealand.
Roshan Singh Naorem (Bengaluru FC)
Roshan Singh has been included in the 23-man squad that will be travelling to New Zealand, though he has started just one game in the ISL 2026-27 season. The left-back has already played 17 games for the Indian national team, with his last appearance coming against Jamaica in May 2026.
With Akash Mishra having cemented his place in the starting XI, it has to be seen if Roshan will get a chance to play for Khalid Jamil’s side.
Special mention: David Lalhlansanga (East Bengal)
Though he has never made his Indian debut, David was part of the Indian squad that lost 2-1 to Qatar in June 2024.
He scored twice for East Bengal in the AFC Champions League Two match against Al Shorta and will be eager to make his national team debut.
For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram.