India hunt for 5th straight title at SAFF Women’s Championship

Biratnagar (Nepal), March 11 (IANS) The Indian women's football team will be gunning for their fifth consecutive title when the SAFF Women's Championship kicks off here on Tuesday. Six teams are taking part in this edition.

Indian eves are scheduled to take on the Maldives and Sri Lanka in the group stage on March 13 and 17, respectively, at the Sahid Rangsala Stadium.

"The SAFF Championship has been a successful one for us over the years. This time, we again will go all out to retain the trophy," India coach Maymol Rocky said at the pre-tournament press conference on Monday.

On the young players in the squad, the head coach said she had full faith in the abilities of her players.

"These youngsters can work magic on the field. They have been together for a long time now and have made a lot of progress in the last few months. With the Olympic Qualifiers Round 2 next month, our objective is to reach our peak at the correct time," she said.

Defender Ashalata Devi, who will captain the team, spoke about the positive mood in the squad. "We are ready for the tournament to begin," she said.

"The spirit in the team is high. We are the defending champions and are confident that we can go all the way," she remarked.

The Indian team is taking part in this tournament after a sixth place finish in the Turkish Women's Cup, where they played the likes of Romania and Uzbekistan.

"The Turkey tour was a vital experience for the girls. We faced some high quality opponents. It was part of our learning curve," Maymol said.

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