Senior Indian National Women’s football team captain Ashalata Devi expressed her excitement as her side will be going against Brazil for the first time in a tournament to be held in Manaus, Brazil later this month.
“It’s absolutely fantastic. I think this is the first time that any Indian Senior team will be playing against Brazil. If that’s not enough motivation for us to better prepare ourselves, I don’t know what is,” said Ashalata Devi in an official AIFF release. “We understand and appreciate the efforts put in by AIFF behind getting this organised for the team. As a footballer, you want to play against the best of the best, and it doesn’t get much better than Brazil. And Chile are such a powerful opponent too, and even Venezuela,” she added.
Marvelling at the opportunity, winger Sanju Yadav said, “Very few in India have had the opportunity to play against Brazilian teams. I think the U17 Men’s team while preparing for the U-17 World Cup, had got that chance. And now we too are getting the same. The girls are absolutely pumped on hearing this.”
“The fact that we will be playing Brazil, is just an inspiration. The authorities have really pulled out all the stops to arrange these matches for us, and that’s a huge vote of confidence in this team. Now it’s up to us to keep that faith and show the world that we can square up against the best in the world as well,” she further stated.