Football
India vs Uzbekistan - 10 things to know about captain Indumathi Kathiresan
Indian women's team captain Indumathi Kathiresan is an example for the youngsters in the side. Here are 10 things that you should know about her.
Indumathi Kathiresan in action for India (Source: AIFF)
The Indian women's national team is scheduled to play a couple of friendlies against Uzbekistan and Belarus on April 5 and 8 respectively. These matches come on the back of three other friendly games against Serbia, Russia and Ukraine held recently in Turkey, in an effort to give our girls some much needed match practice ahead of the 2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup. Indumathi Kathiresan has been named the captain for the upcoming two friendlies and in this article, we will discuss the life and career of one of the most talented female footballers in the country.
How old is she and where is she from?
Indumathi was born on 5 June 1994 in Cuddalore, in the southern state of Tamil Nadu.
What position does she play?
She plays as a midfielder for the Indian national team and for her club side, and can play both in an attacking capacity and as a central midfielder.
Which clubs has she played for?
She has represented Jeppier Institute at the start of her career before moving on to prominent Indian Women's League (IWL) side Sethu FC. With the latter, she won the IWL in the 2018-19 season in Ludhiana having played a starring role all throughout the competition.
What are some of her attributes as a player?
A combative midfielder with an eye for goal, Indumathi is one of the best central midfielders that India has ever had. She is also a great leader and tends to set an example for the younger players in the side with her actions on the pitch.
What are her contributions towards football in her state?
Her brilliant performances at the domestic level saw Tamil Nadu bag the Senior National Championships for the first time in 2018 and later that year, the Tamil Nadu junior team also won the national title. Along the way, Indumathi has been one of the pioneers of women's football in the state.
When did she make her India debut?
She made her international debut back in 2014 and has been a consistent feature in the side since.
What important tournaments has she represented India in?
She was the joint top-scorer at the 2019 SAFF Women's Championship. She was also a part of the Indian side that won gold at the 2016 Asian Games. Moreover, she was in the squad when India managed to qualify for the second round of the Olympic Qualifiers in 2016.
What are her statistics with the national team?
She has captained the Indian team on various occasions previously as well and has already featured 34 times in India colours. In that time, she has scored 12 goals, quite a decent number considering the position that he plays in.
What are some of her other achievements?
Besides being a talented footballer, Indumathi is also a Sub-Inspector in Tamil Nadu Police. During the lockdown in 2020, she was one of the frontline officers in the centre of the action as she went about manning the streets of Anna Nagar in Chennai, replete with her khaki uniform and equipped with an all-important face mask.
Why was she not allowed to play football for more than a year?
Indumathi didn't feature for the Indian team or Sethu FC during the period between May 2019 and February 2021. It is understood that she was denied a clearance by the Tamil Nadu Police to play football for her state or the country. That has since been resolved as she came back into the squad for the friendlies in Turkey. However, she had to sit out of the 4th edition of the IWL in 2020 as a result which was eventually won by Gokulam Kerala FC.
