Vancouver: The Indian football team take the field for the first time under the guidance of new coach Englishman Bob Houghton when they meet a local club side at the Vancouver Whitecaps Nations Cup here on Wednesday.

After taking over last month, Houghton, who has previous coaching experience with the national sides of China, Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan, conducted a three-week long camp in Goa, and selected a 20-member squad for the tour out of the 35 players who attended the stint.

In the absence of star striker Bhaichung Bhutia ? who did not attend the camp and has asked to be excused from national duty ? the team will be led by Mahindra United midfielder Shanmugam Venkatesh who wore the captain’s armband before the ace goalpoacher returned to the side for the SAF Cup in Karachi late last year.

With the Mohun Bagan stalwart missing from the line-up, the Indian forwardline sports a much weakened look and the responsibility of finding the net would fall on the Calcutta outfit’s Sushil Kumar Singh, JCT Mills’ talented Sunil Chhetri and Freddy Mascarenhas of Churchill Brothers.

In another match of the tournament, Cardiff City FC take on China U-20 national team on Friday. The winners will play the final, while the two other teams will contest for the third place playoff.

For India, the tournament will be a useful preparation and stock-taking ahead of the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers against Saudi Arabia in Calcutta on August 16 and against defending champions Japan in Bangalore on October 11.

The major outing for the team would be the Doha Asian Games in December which would serve as a marker for the progress the team has made in the six months under Houghton. (PTI)