It will not be easy for India to make it to the group stage given that they will be competing against the United States of America, Morocco, and the tournament favorites, Brazil. India qualified for the tournament as hosts, and this would be India’s first time competing in a FIFA event.
As a child, ASTAM ORAON spent her formative years in a village in the Indian state of Jharkhand that is so isolated that she had very little contact with the outside world. There was no access to the phone network, and the electricity was spotty. Her parents spend the majority of the year working in the fields, and during the months when they were unable to do so, they would look for employment elsewhere as daily wagers in order to make ends meet.
Both of Sudha Ankita Tirkey’s parents are laborers, just like Astam, and they are employed in the fields. As a result of her parents’ inability to find job during the Covid lockdown in 2020, their family struggled to put food on the table. However, Sudha’s parents have never once suggested that she give up playing football.
Astam and Sudha will be two of the six girls from Jharkhand who are a part of the India team that competes against the United States of America in the opening match of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup on October 11 at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar. The match will take place at the Kalinga Stadium. In addition to Astam and Sudha, the squad also includes Anjali Munda, Purnima Kumari, Nitu Linda, and Anita Kumari, all of whom are originally from the state of Jharkhand.
The seventh iteration of the tournament will be held in three different cities: Bhubaneswar, Goa, and Navi Mumbai, the latter of which will play host to the tournament’s final on October 30. The 16 teams, which include Spain and Brazil, are split into four groups of four teams each, with the winner and runner-up of each group advancing to the quarter-finals of the competition. Spain and Brazil are the defending winners of the tournament.
It will not be easy for India to make it to the group stage given that they will be competing against the United States of America, Morocco, and the tournament favorites, Brazil. India qualified for the tournament as hosts, and this would be India’s first time competing in a FIFA event.
However, Coach Thomas Dennerby will put his faith in the ability of his team members in order to achieve victory. The five girls from Jharkhand are likely to be part of the playing XI, despite the fact that there are no players in the roster from any of the three host cities.
It is probable that Astam, who plays left back, will be the captain. Her parents, being aware of the limited chances available in Gumla, decided to send her to Saint Colombus Collegiate in Hazaribagh, which is approximately a four-hour journey away, so that she may participate in football games there.
“At first, she was used on the left side of the midfield. According to S Pradhan, the head coach of the Jharkhand team, who was quoted in The Indian Express, “She was good on the ball, but she wasn’t able to track back to defend, which is something that is essential for midfielders.”
She was given the opportunity to demonstrate her abilities at the U-17 nationals held in Kolhapur in 2019, and as a result, she was chosen to participate in the India camp. “She has put an incredible amount of effort into improving her game. “The coach must have noticed that she is more suited for defense, despite the fact that she came into the camp as a midfielder,” Pradhan added.
Purnima Kumar, who plays defense alongside Astam and comes from a farming family, has earned a reputation for being a tough and brave player in the meantime. Her parents are farmers.
Nitu Linda, a midfielder who hails from Jharkhand and trained at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) center in Ranchi, is considered to be one of the state’s most promising athletes. Despite the fact that she is one of the players on the squad with the shortest stature, she is frequently listed first on the team sheet due to her skills and technical expertise.
The loss of Linda’s mother when she was still a little child made for a difficult childhood for her. Her father was a farm worker who had trouble making ends meet yet he always encouraged her to play even though they were poor. “Everyone is going to be talking about her. After this event, I wouldn’t be surprised if large teams started contacting her about playing for them,” her coach Pradhan remarked.
Anjali Munda, who also played goalie, received her training at the SAI center like Linda did. However, she did not begin her career as a goalie right away. Her position of choice on the field was that of a defender. She began her career as a goalkeeper after receiving guidance from Pradhan. “At any one time, she towers above every other player on the field. She stated that being a defender was all she ever wanted to do. “I was able to persuade her that she’ll have more prospects as a goalkeeper since I haven’t seen that many tall girls playing Indian football,” Pradhan said. “I told her that there aren’t that many tall girls playing goalkeeper.”
Anita Kumar, who plays on Anjali’s squad, chose to ignore the teasing that she and her family received from the villagers “for wearing shorts” because she knew that football may be her ticket out of the town. She used to play right back, but she recently switched positions and is now a striker. She has performed exceptionally well for India in the competitions leading up to the big event.
It’s not just her who has challenged herself to do things that are outside of her comfort zone. Astam, the player who was formerly blocked off from the world but is now poised to represent her country at the U-17 World Cup, is the most notable example of this, as she was once the only one in her family with access to the outside world.
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