Indian women's football team is set to take on Indonesia in Mandalay, Myanmar on April 3.
Coming on the back of their fifth successive SAFF Championship title, India have been sweating it out training in Mandalay since March 26, gearing up for the AFC Olympic Qualifiers Round 2.
"We arrived here eight days prior to our first match against Indonesia for acclimatization. The team has responded well, and have settled down fast to the torrid weather conditions here. The players have got a feel of the pitch, and the training sessions had been designed specifically to help them adjust while focusing on tactics," head coach Maymol Rocky said.
"We had won the SAFF Championship in Biratnagar (Nepal), where temperatures were similar but here in Mandalay, its lot more humid. But not just physically, everyone is charged up mentally. The weather won't be an issue. We have prepared hard for the Olympic Qualifiers Round 2, and we won't let the weather dictate our performance," she said.
"We have played 14 international matches in a span of three months before coming to Myanmar including matches in Turkey, Indonesia and Nepal, amongst others. We have also played in the first ever Hero Gold Cup in Bhubaneswar and all of these matches have helped our bodies to act quickly and adapt to the situation", Maymol added.
Following is the 20-member team for the Olympic Qualifiers Round 2:
Goalkeepers: Linthoingambi Devi, Aditi Chauhan, Sowmiya Narayanasamy
Defenders: Jabamani Tudu, Sweety Devi, Ashalata Devi, Dalima Chhibber, Michel Castanha, Lako Bhutia
Midfielders: Ranjana Chanu, Dangmei Grace, Sanju Yadav, Ratanbala Devi, Sumithra Kamaraj, Sangita Basfore, Indumathi Kathiresan
Forwards: Anju Tamang, Roja Devi, Manisha, Sandhiya Ranganathan
India had started the year with two matches each against Hong Kong and Indonesia, before playing in the Hero Gold Cup and subsequently moving to Turkey to participate in an eight-nation women's tournament.
India will meet Indonesia, Nepal and Myanmar on April 3, 6 and 9 respectively in the AFC Olympic Qualifiers.
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