FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup: From Astam Oraon to Lynda Kom Serto, India players to watch out for

The excitement is building up towards the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup, which will kick off in India on Tuesday.

Hosts India will take on the United States in their first match on Tuesday at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneshwar. India’s group also consists of Brazil and Morocco.

The tournament will take place across three venues in Goa, Bhubaneshwar, and Navi Mumbai, with the final to be played on 30 October.

The Indian youngsters will hope to put their best effort in the tournament. This will be for the first time that India will be participating in a women’s football World Cup.

Let’s take a look at some of the Indian players to watch at the U17 Women’s World Cup:

Lynda Kom Serto

Lynda Kom Serto is an attacker for the U17 women’s side, and she led by example at the SAFF U1-18 Championship in March this year, netting five goals in the tournament.

This included a hat-trick against Nepal, and Lynda eventually won the Golden Boot award.

Lynda’s India debut had come in 2017 at the SAFF U15 championships, where she scored four goals.

Lynda even won the Golden Boot award for netting six goals, in the Women’s U17 Championships in 2019.

Astam Oraon

Jharkhand-born Astam Oraon is India’s captain for the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup. Oraon can play as a full-back, as well as play as a defensive midfielder for her side.

Astam played a crucial role for Jharkhand in the Junior National Football Championships in 2019, where she scored five goals in six games while playing as a midfielder. Jharkhand reached the finals of the tournament but eventually lost to Himachal Pradesh.

The task will be cut out for Astam, who will be forming a defence with Purnima. What’s more, Astam will also have the responsibility to take free-kicks come the U17 Women’s World Cup.

Naketa

Naketa will form another part of India’s defence at the upcoming U17 Women’s World Cup. Naketa was part of the Indian side that won the SAFF U18 Championships this year.

In domestic football, Naketa plays for Ahmedabad-based ARA FC. Notably, she had scored via a free-kick in an Indian Women’s League contest against Indian Arrows.

Kajal

Hailing from Haryana, Kajal plays as a defender. Much like Naketa and some others, Kajal was also part of the Indian side that won the SAFF U18 Women’s championships.

Kajal is part of the Delhi-based Hops Football Club, and was also part of the squad that competed in the Torneo Female Football Tournament and the Open Nordic Tournament that was held in Norway.

Varshika

Varshika, a 16-year-old from Delhi, will be looking to make her opportunity count at the World Cup, should she be given a chance. She plays as a defender for India. She was part of the Indian side that won the SAFF U18 Women’s Championship, but did not get a game, and would be hoping otherwise.

Varshika currently plays for Hops Football Club and has so far netted two goals in 10 career appearances.

Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News ,  India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook ,  Twitter  and  Instagram