East Bengal duo Surkumar Singh and Syed Rahim Nabi were left out of the 20-member Indian football squad for the international friendly against Hong Kong on January 14.

Promising Mohun Bagan player Rakesh Masih made it to the squad at the expense of Surkumar, who injured himself during the Federation Cup last December.

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Dempo's Anthony Pereira was the other new face in the side that has most of the players who took part in the AFC Challenge Cup in August last year.

India and Mohun Bagan skipper Bhaichung Bhutia, who was injured during his club's Federation Cup campaign, will be travelling with the squad after getting back to full fitness.

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The squad was chosen from a list of 29 players called for the national camp held in Goa [Images] from January 2. They will leave for Hong Kong on Saturday via Mumbai [Images].

India had last played the same opponents in a friendly on February 18, 2006 in Hong Kong which ended in a 2-2 draw.

The squad

Goalkeepers: Subrata Pal, Subhashish Roy Choudhury.

Defenders: Rakesh Masih, Anwar Ali, Deepak Mondal, Gouramangi Singh, Mahesh Gawli and Samir Naik.

Midfielders: Baldip Singh, Mehrajuddin Wadao, Anthony Pereira, Clifford Miranda, Climax Lawrence, N P Pradeep, Rennedy Singh and Steven Dias.

Forwards: Abhishek Yadav, Bhaichung Bhutia (Captain), Sunil Chhetri and Sushil Kumar [Images] Singh.

Officials: Bob Houghton (chief coach), Savio Mederia (asst. coach), Antonio Marcus Pacheco (goalkeeping coach), Pradip Choudhury (Manager).

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