Aiming to build leaders, Indian women's team lands in Uzbekistan

As the Indian women's team arrives in Tashkent, Uzbekistan to play two friendly matches, head coach Maymol Rocky outlined the larger vision at play, which is to get the team running in top gear, ahead of the AFC Women's Asian Cup India 2022.

The Indian women's team will face-off against Uzbekistan on April 5 and against Belarus on April 8 in Tashkent in two friendly matches next month. The team that already played a number of friendlies in Turkey as part of long-term preparation for the AFC Asian Cup.

"We have been here before in 2019 when we had also played friendlies against Uzbekistan, and those matches really helped us test ourselves against quality opposition. I am sure we will get to learn and explore a lot about ourselves, in the matches against Uzbekistan and Belarus," Rocky mentioned upon arrival in Tashkent.

While preparing the team for next year's AFC Women's Asian Cup, the India head coach is also looking to build characters amongst the different players by handing them more responsibility. For the two friendlies against Uzbekistan and Belarus, Maymol Rocky has announced midfielder Indumathi Kathiresan as the captain of the team.

"These friendlies against tough opponents are not just there for us to work on our game on the pitch. They are also there for us to build characters in the team as well. Sangita was the captain in Turkey, and Indumathi will take up the same role here in Uzbekistan," said Rocky.

"I am hoping that this will help more of the girls understand how to take up the responsibility for the entire team. When you are the captain, you become a kind-of ambassador for every other player in the squad - not only on the pitch, but off it as well. If you have multiple leaders within the team, it helps the side become more than just a sum of its parts. That's what we are looking to build," she further stated.

( With inputs from ANI )