India will kick-off their preparations for the January 2011 Asian Cup with a friendly against Thailand in Bangkok on Saturday with skipper Baichung Bhutia ruled out of the tie due to illness.
India’s last international appearance was more than a year ago when they took on Syria in the Nehru Cup final last August.
“Bhutia had some problems. Though he took part in training he was not playing much. So the coach (Bob Houghton) will decide whether he will play tomorrow or not,” team manager Pradip Chowdhury said.
Bhutia’s place will be taken by former Mahindra United striker Mohammad Rafi, who will make his debut. Rafi has been in immaculate form lately and Houghton has shown a lot of confidence in playing him up front along with Sunil Chhetri.
The Thais, under former England and Manchester United captain Bryan Robson, are placed 34 rungs above India in the FIFA rankings at 104th and have played more international matches than Houghton’s men this year.
Thailand have named a squad which is a blend of youth and experience. With an aim to build a strong squad for the Asian Games in November, Robson have added some under-23 players for Saturday’s match.
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