Blue Tigresses land early in Australia for AFC Asian Cup

India was the first among 11 visiting teams to reach Australia ahead of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup, touching down in Perth on February 11, three weeks before its first game.

India will kickstart its Group C campaign against Vietnam in Perth on March 4, followed by Japan at the same venue on March 7, and Chinese Taipei 10 in Sydney on March. Carrying valuable experience from their Turkiye tour, the Blue Tigresses have maintained their training momentum down under.

“We were the first to arrive, and we’re very happy to already be here and properly settled, which is important,” said India head coach Amelia Valverde while naming her 26-member playing squad. “We’re very happy with how things feel with the players and the group.”

From single-digit temperatures in Turkiye, Valverde and her side has had to adjust to the summer in Perth, but arriving early has made that process a lot smoother.

“It took a few days to adapt to the time difference and also a bit to the weather.

“It was raining heavily there. Here, the temperatures are significantly hotter. Our matches are at night, so temperatures will be more controlled.”

Having trained the team for a month, Valverde stated that it’s been a fruitful experience so far.

The squad: Goalkeepers: Panthoi Chanu, Shreya Hooda, Sowmiya Narayanasamy.

Defenders: Astam Oraon, Juli Kishan, Martina Thokchom, Nirmala Devi, Sanju, Sarita Yumnam, Shilky Devi, Sushmita Lepcha, Sweety Devi.

Midfielders: Anju Tamang, Aveka Singh, Babina Devi, Jasoda Munda, Sanfida Nongrum, Sangita Basfore.

Forwards: Dangmei Grace, Kaviya Pakkirisamy, Lynda Kom, P. Malavika, Manisha Kalyan, Pyari Xaxa, Rimpa Haldar and Soumya Guguloth.