AIFF names 23-player India Women's squad for Myanmar friendlies
The AIFF has named a 23-member senior India women's squad that is all set to play two friendlies against Myanmar on July 9 and 12 in Yangon.
The team took part in the national camp within 10 days after their recent matches against Uzbekistan ended 0-3 and 0-0. While the results were rather tough, playing against a team like Uzbekistan was good for the team development. The camp at Kolkata's National Centre of Excellence ensured every player was fit and trained with their respective clubs.
The India women's squad includes Shreya Hooda, Elangbam Panthoi Chanu, and Maibam Linthoingambi Devi as goalkeepers. Whereas Loitongbam Ashalata Devi, Hemam Shilky Devi, Sanju, Wangkhem Linthoingambi Devi, and Aruna Bag have been added as defenders.
Naorem Priyanka Devi, Sangita Basfore, Karthika Angamuthu, Neha, Nongmaithem Ratanbala Devi, and Mousumi Murmu will play the roles of mid-fielders. The Forwards include Kajol Hubert Dsouza, Anju Tamang, Soumya Guguloth, Sandhiya Ranganathan, Karishma Purushottam Shirvoikar, Lynda Kom Serto, Pyari Xaxa, Jyoti, Rimpa Haldar.
Head coach Chaoba Devi expressed satisfaction with the India women's squad's composition, referring to it as a blend of senior and junior players.
Coach Chaoba was persistent about including young players in the lineup and also highlighted the role of the Indian Women's League in scouting talent. She was quoted as saying in an AIFF release:
“My team is a mix of senior and junior players. I am satisfied with the combination of the India women's squad. After playing Uzbekistan last month, we started our National camp within the next 10 days.”
“All the players are fit, which is a good sign. They didn’t want to relax; they were undergoing intense training at their respective clubs," she added.
Head coach Chaoba speaks on India women's squad's current performances
Notably, India currently ranks 67, while Myanmar stands at 54. While the rankings clearly show a gap, Chaoba harped on the quality of the matches rather than their rankings to be of value to the growth of the team. The federation works with a commitment to arrange more international tours with more quality games to examine and nurture the team.
“Ranking does matter. The federation is also trying to arrange for more exposure tours. If we play more such games, the team will improve. We need to play quality games," Chaoba said.
“A well-laid-out plan should be there. We need to inform the girls well in time to keep them prepared. There is a lot of activity going on around Indian women’s football, and we need future players. We have scouted talents from IWL and IWL 2. We coaches can get the best of the talents and select the best ones," she added.