Indian Football: Women's squad for the four-nation tournament in Brazil announced

Indian Women's Team gaffer Thomas Dennerby names a squad of 23 for their 4 nation tournament in Manus, Brazil, that will depart on Saturday, November 20, 2021. In a very stern test, the Indian team will face 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup runners up Brazil, Chile, and Venezuela.

Indian Team's head coach Dennerby explained that all three matches will be tough as they are taking on "extremely technical" sides." Brazil are a really good team. No other team since I have arrived, has tested our defense as much as Brazil will do next week," quipped Dennerby. "In the second game, Chile is another extremely technical side, but with all the hard work we have been doing, we have also raised our levels. The game against Venezuela will also be a particularly tough one for us," the coach added.

The 57th ranked Indian Women's Team will face off against World No. 7 Brazil on November 25, Chile (World No. 37) on November 28, and Venezuela (World No. 56) on December 1. The Confederação Brasileira de Desportos (CBF) has already named the full squad for Brazil, which also contains legends of the game like Marta da Silva and Formiga Mota.

Dennerby believes that both the veteran Brazilians are brilliant role models for footballers worldwide and that the Indian players are looking forward to playing against them."They have a very good squad with stars like Marta and Formiga. The girls are all looking forward to it. It's the first time that they will play a team of such stature, and it will be good experience for them all," Dennerby expressed.

He kept on saying, "For sure, when we meet them, we need to thank them for being the role models for football that they have been. They have shown that you don't need to quit football when you are 30-31. It's all about performance and keep playing as long as you can. They are super good role models."

Although the Indian Women's Team will face some difficult opponents, Dennerby's girls will approach the matches with no fear." I always tell the girls to show respect for all the opponents. They may be ranked number one in the world or number 105, but we need to show everyone their due respect," stated Dennerby. "But of course, I also tell them to never fear any opponent, regardless of their rank. Of course, the Brazil game will be much tougher than the Venezuela one, but we play hard in both of them."

Here is the squad of 23 that will travel:

Goalkeepers: Aditi Chauhan, M Linthoingambi Devi, Sowmiya Narayasamy.

Defenders: Dalima Chhibber, Sweety Devi, Ritu Rani, Ashalata Devi, Manisa Panna, Shilky Devi, Ranjana Chanu, W Linthoingambi Devi.

Midfielders: Indumathi Kathiresan, Sanju, Anju Tamang, Martina Thokchom, Karthika Angamuthu, Kamala Devi.

Forwards: Manisha Kalyan, Pyari Xaxa, Renu, Dangmei Grace, Soumya Guguloth, Mariyammal Balamurugan.