Harpal Singh Bedi / New Delhi
Indian Women’s football team will face Nepal on November 8 in their opening match of the first round of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics qualifying tournament in Myanmar.
India will take on Bangladesh on November 11 and hosts Myanmar on November 13.
Coach Maymol Rocky on Saturday named 20-member squad for the tournament.
A total of 10 teams will move forward to the second round and if the Indian team is to progress, it will be a remarkable achievement for the women’s team, which has never crossed the first hurdle at Olympic level in the past.
Talking about the team, Rocky said, “The girls are ready and looking forward to play. We will enter the tournament with a positive mindset among the players as well as the entire staff.
“Our aim is to go through to the next round and we are looking forward to that. We need to qualify and I’m confident that we will do so.”
“I expect all the girls to rise to the occasion and give a good account of themselves. The players in the starting XI as well as the substitutes – each member will have a crucial role to play.”
Over the last two weeks, the players have been training hard in Mumbai to prepare for this tournament” coach added
Team :
Goalkeepers; : E. Panthoi Chanu, Aditi Chauhan, M. Linthoingambi Devi
Defenders: L. Ashalata Devi, Manisha Panna, Ng. Sweety Devi, Jabamani Tudu, Dalima Chhibber, Pyari Xaxa
Mid fielders : Sangita Basfore, Sanju Yadav, Margaret Devi, Ranjana Chanu, Indumathi Kathiresan
Forwards: Y. Kamala Devi, Anju Tamang, N. Ratanbala Devi, Ng. Bala Devi, Dangmei Grace, R. Sandhiya Ranganathan.