Midfielder gurnaj singh grewal

AFC U20 Asian Cup Qualifiers: The India U20 men's team will begin their campaign in the Mandiri U20 Challenge Series, a four-nation friendly tournament, against Syria at the Gelora Delta Stadium here on Friday. Head coach Biby Thomas and his 23-member squad of youngsters, consisting mainly of under-17 and under-18 players, arrived in their team hotel in the city of Surabaya on Wednesday morning and held their first training session in the evening at the Gelora Stadium.

India will meet Jordan on January 27 and host Indonesia on January 30. The tournament will be a mountain to climb for the Blue Colts, who are the youngest lot among the four participating teams.

Syria, Jordan, and Indonesia are using these friendlies to prepare for next month's AFC U20 Asian Cup with 2005-born players. Thomas has 2007 and 2008-born players at his disposal for the Indonesia tour. This batch is preparing for the SAFF U19 Championship to be held from May 8 to 18, 2025.