New Delhi: The Indian U-22 squad presently camping in Dubai for the forthcoming AFC U-22 Championship were held to a 2-2 draw in their first practice match against a combined African XI on Saturday (June 16). Midfielders Lalrindika Ralte and Tirthankar Sarkar scored one apiece for the Indian squad.

Head Coach Arthur Papas used 18 players in the match which was played at Al Wasl’s training ground. The rival opposition comprised of players from Nigeria, Ivory Coast, and Cameroon most of whom have come to Dubai to appear in trials for various clubs.

“It is a good result against a very tough opposition,” Papas maintained. “The positive part stays the boys are improving,” he added. The match was played in two halves of 45 minutes each.

“We wanted to play at 5pm (local time) as that’s the time when our first match against Lebanon kicks-off. The temperature was 39 degrees,” he informed. India play their first match against Lebanon in Muscat on June 23.

“We will play another practice match on Tuesday (June 19). The squad has so far stayed away from injuries and we need to take care of ourselves,” Papas maintained.