Women battle-ready for ‘mental litmus test’

Mandalay: Ahead of Indian Senior Women’s Team’s opening match of the AFC Olympic Qualifiers Round 2 against Indonesia at the Mandalarthiri Stadium, Head Coach Maymol Rocky dubbed the clash as “mental litmus test for her team with incredibly high stakes.”

Speaking at the official pre-tournament press conference, Maymol stated: “We had played two friendly matches against Indonesia in January, and they (Indonesia) showed that they can be tough opponents.”

The Indian women has played 14 international matches before coming to Myanmar, including two matches against Indonesia where India won 3-0, and 2-0 in Jakarta in January 2019.

“The fact that we had won the two matches makes it harder for us mentally. We cannot underestimate them, and take it for granted that we shall beat them this time as well,” Maymol cautions.

“The stakes are incredibly high (April 3) and it will be a litmus test for us mentally. We need to be mentally strong, and aggressive.”

“Every team will want to start the Olympic Qualifiers Round 2 with a win, and so do we. A win in the first match will put us in a good position for qualification, which we are aiming for.”

Meanwhile, skipper Ashalata Devi informed that the team is ready to meet challenges head-on. “We are aiming to qualify to Round 3. We are extremely glad to have accumulated the exposure, and experience through the friendly matches that we have played before coming here to Myanmar.”

India women had clashed swords against the likes of Romania, Uzbekistan, Iran, Hong Kong, Kazakhstan amongst others, and all their three opponents of the AFC Olympic Qualifiers Round 2 since January 2019.