India U20 women’s team captain, Shubhangi Singh, is optimistic about her team’s readiness for the AFC U20 Women’s Asian Cup in Thailand. The team, after a two-decade hiatus, will kick off their campaign against Japan on April 2 in Group C, which also includes Australia and Chinese Taipei. Shubhangi highlighted the team’s belief and clear approach during the qualification campaign, emphasizing their preparedness for challenging opponents.
The Young Tigresses, presently training in Kolkata, are set to depart for Bangkok on March 20 for the final phase of their preparations. Shubhangi expressed the team’s focus on the tough group stage matches ahead, emphasizing their readiness to face strong teams and their determination to deliver commendable performances. The team’s training regimen has involved an exposure tour in Sweden and friendly matches against Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan to gain valuable experience.
India’s preparations have included a month-long training stint in Sweden, where they faced physically imposing European clubs, providing insights on handling stronger opponents. Shubhangi acknowledged the learning curve from a significant defeat against Swedish club Hammarby IF, highlighting the team’s subsequent improvement in adapting to different playing styles. The team also gained valuable experience from recent friendlies against Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, focusing on strategies to counter physically dominant opponents.
Looking ahead to the tournament, Shubhangi acknowledged the strength of Japan as a formidable opponent, emphasizing the team’s determination to showcase their capabilities. Despite the challenges posed by strong competitors, the captain expressed the team’s ambition to progress beyond the group stage and urged support from fans in Thailand and India. The team aims to deliver strong performances and strive for qualification to the knockout stages, with a focus on making their supporters proud.
