New Delhi: Senior women’s football team coach Maymol Rocky believes that the upcoming Turkish Women’s Cup is a good opportunity for India to grow as a team.
Coming on the back of the recently concluded Hero Gold Cup, India left for the Turkish Women’s Cup which kicks-off from February 27.
The tournament is part of the Indian women’s preparation for the AFC Olympic Qualifiers Round 2 to be held in April, as well as the Senior Women’s SAFF Championship slated for March.
“In Turkey, we will be playing against Romania and Uzbekistan, both of whom are high-quality teams, and ranked higher than us. It is wonderful to get such an opportunity to play against such sides as it will help the girls gain valuable experience. It will enable us to see where we stand against such top sides,” AIFF quoted Maymol, as saying.
“It will be a good challenge for the whole team as they will play in a high-pressure environment. This will help them develop into better players. We will look to improve on our finishing as a team and work on our game plans and strategies,” she added.
India eves head into the Turkish Women’s Cup having played seven International matches since January, and are guaranteed of another 4 International matches in the Turkish Women’s Cup, where India have been clubbed with Uzbekistan, Romania and Turkmenistan in the group phase.
India are slated to kick-start their campaign in the tournament against Uzbekistan on February 27. The clash against Uzbekistan will be followed by matches against Turkmenistan and Romania on March 1 and 3, respectively.
Following is the Indian squad for the tournament:
Goalkeepers: Aditi Chauhan, M Linthongambi Devi, Sowmiya Narayansamy.
Defenders: L Ashalata Devi, NG Sweety Devi, Jabamani Tudu, Dalima Chhibber, Lako Phuti, Michel M Castanha, Yumlembam Pakpi Devi.
Midfielders: Sangita Basfore, Sanju Yadav, Sumithra Kamaraj, Indumathi Kathiresan, Ranjana Chanu, Manisha, Grace H Lalrampari, Sanathokpi Devi.
Forwards: Roja Devi, Anju Tamang, Ratanbala Devi, Dangmei Grace, Renu, Sandhiya Ranganathan.
Reserves: Crystal Pinto (Goalkeeper), K Tony Devi (Defender).
[source_without_link]ANI[/source_without_link]