Harpal Singh Bedi
New Delhi,11 January; Head coach Thomas Dennerby on Tuesday 23-member Indian squad for the forthcoming AFC Women’s Asian Cup Football to b e held in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, and Pune, from January 20 onwards.
India is clubbed with Iran, Chinese Taipei and China in Group A of the competition that consists of 12 teams
With as many as 15 players under the age of 25 in the relatively young squad, Dennerby was of the view that it would “the youngsters and the experienced bunch can help each other out, both on and off the pitch.”
“We have a good bunch of young players, and some experienced heads too. The young ones are hungry to prove themselves, so that brings in a good level of energy and healthy competition for places,” Dennerby averred.
“But it also works the other way round — as the experienced players can guide the young ones in different things both on and off the pitch.”
He maintained that the team is approaching “one game at a time.”
“If you start thinking too much about permutations and combinations, that can take a toll on the way you play the game. The coaches can do all the thinking that we can, but for the players, it’s all about going out there and playing well on the day. Football is a ‘beautiful game,’ and you need to live in the moment to play it well,” he added.
The players and support staff, camping in Kochi, Kerala since the team’s return from Brazil, will fly out to Mumbai on Thursday,
India will take on Iran in their opening match on January 20) followed by match against Chinese Taipei (January 23) and China (January 26) in the league stage
The squad (jersey numbers in brackets):
Goalkeepers : Aditi Chauhan (1), Maibam Linthoingambi Devi (23), Sowmiya Narayanasamy (19).
Defenders : Dalima Chhibber (17), Sweety Devi Ngangbam (2), Ritu Rani (21), Loitongbam Ashalata Devi (4), Manisa Panna (3), Hemam Shilky Devi (5), Sanju Yadav (8).
Midfielders; Yumnam Kamala Devi (6), Anju Tamang (9), Karthika Angamuthu (20), Nongmeithem Ratanbala Devi (7), Naorem Priyangka Devi (14), Indumathi Kathiresan (12).
Forwards; Manisha Kalyan (16), Grace Dangmei (11), Pyari Xaxa (10), Renu (15), Sumati Kumari (22), Sandhiya Ranganathan (13), Mariyammal Balamurugan (18).
Head Coach Thomas Dennerby.