Defender Abneet Bharti to miss Indian football team camp following maiden call-up

India will play Bangladesh in the next AFC Asian Cup Qualifier.

Khalid Jamil called up some new names to the senior national squad for the game against Bangladesh on November 18. However, one of the latest entries into the team, Abneet Bharti, will not be able to join the squad.

The Indian national football team camp set up in Bengaluru started on November 7, for which Khalid Jamil called up 23 probables. This list of probables was later expanded as Ryan Williams and Abneet Bharti received their maiden call-up for the Indian team.

Bharti will not join the camp

According to the Times of India, in what is a disappointing development for both the player and the national team, Abneet Bharti will not be able to join the Indian national team camp in Bengaluru. This also confirms his exclusion from the squad that will travel to Bangladesh.

Reportedly, Bharti will not be released by his club for national duty. The 27-year-old, who plays in Bolivia for the top-tier club Academia del Balompié Boliviano, has been prohibited from joining the national team camp due to logistical reasons. The defender will have to wait for his debut until March next year, when the Blue Tigers play against Hong Kong in the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers.

Also Read: Who is Abneet Bharti? Indian footballer playing in Bolivia’s top division

Transition for India

The game against Bangladesh is expected to kick off a phase of transition for the Indian team. The Blue Tigers were knocked out of the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers when they lost fourth match on the trot, making it impossible for them to qualify for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup.

To start this phase of transition, Khalid Jamil has decided to bring in new faces into the squad, and Abneet Bharti is one of them. He can prove to be an asset for Jamil because of his versatility and experience of playing in Europe and South America.

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