India head coach Crispin Chettri feels his side is currently in a transitional team and are breaking barriers by participating in the tournament as they strive to get better.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a transitional phase for the team, where we have brought in a lot of new players. We are all willing to suffer for the overall good of the team. I think it\u2019s important to support and encourage these girls because most of them are breaking a lot of barriers just by being here. We must focus on the positives right now,\u201d said Chettri.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The Indian team landed in Sharjah on Tuesday. The match will kick off at the Al Hamriya Sports Club Stadium. India will play two more matches against Russia and the Korea Republic on February 23 and 26, respectively.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cJordan have progressed in a good way over the last few years, but I think these are matches that we have to win if we want to progress,\u201d said Chettri. \u201cWe have a good mix of young and experienced players, so it will be a competitive game.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
India women had a 10-day camp in Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh, before travelling to Sharjah, where they will have two training sessions before their first match. The 44-year-old feels that women\u2019s football, especially the national team, has benefitted from the shift to a longer Indian Women\u2019s League season.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cWe could only get a 10-day camp before the Pink Ladies Cup, but the good thing is that the players are already in mid-season, so we don\u2019t have to spend any time on their fitness,\u201d he said. \u201cWe could straight away get into working on certain tactical areas and how to organise as a unit.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Fullback Sanju was in agreement with the coach. She said, \u201cThis is something that we, the players, have benefitted from. Playing regular matches is the most important thing, and we have been doing that in the IWL. Now that we are in the national team, we can straight away get into playing our system, rather than spend time on fitness. Every player is in peak physical form.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
India are ranked 13th in Asia (69th in the world), while Jordan are 14th in the continent (74th in the world). Chettri, however, brushed aside talks of the difference in rankings of the teams, choosing instead to focus on the fact that the Blue Tigresses are currently seeing a transitional phase.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Fullback Sanju was in agreement with the coach. She said, \u201cThis is something that we, the players, have benefitted from. Playing regular matches is the most important thing, and we have been doing that in the IWL. Now that we are in the national team, we can straight away get into playing our system, rather than spend time on fitness. Every player is in peak physical form.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
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