Thomas Dennerby announces India's squad for the 1st round of Women's Olympic Qualifiers

India senior women's team head coach Thomas Dennerby announced a 22-member squad for the Asian Qualifiers Round 1 of the Women's Olympic Football Tournament 2024 on Wednesday, March 29. The matches will be played in Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic from April 4.

After Turkmenistan pulled out of the tournament, India and hosts Kyrgyz Republic are the only two teams left in Group G. The two teams will play each other twice on April 4 and April 7, respectively.

The Blue Tigeresses are coming into the qualifiers on the back of a 2-3 defeat at the hands of Uzbekistan in a friendly clash on Tuesday, March 27.

They will now travel directly to Kyrgyzstan for the two crucial matches. Ashalata Devi and Co. also played two friendly games in Jordan as part of India's preparations for the qualifiers.

India suffered a narrow 2-1 defeat in the first game while holding Jordan to a goalless draw in the second.

Meanwhile, the Kyrgyzstan women's team are ranked 123rd in the FIFA rankings while the Blue Tigresses are way ahead in the 61st spot. Despite the stark gap in their rankings, Dennerby and his girls wouldn't dare to take the pedal off the gas.

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India's full squad for Women’s Olympic Qualifier Round 1

The 22-member squad announced by Thomas Dennerby has a few of the big names missing for multiple reasons. The likes of Aditi Chauhan, Bala Devi, Pyari Xaxa, and Manisha Kalyan will all miss the action.

Here's the full squad:

Goalkeepers: Sowmiya Narayansamy, Shreya Hooda, and Elangbam Panthoi.

Defenders: Ashalata Devi, Sweety Devi, Ritu Rani, Ranjana Chanu, Michel Castanha, Dalima Chhibber, Manisa Panna, and Juli Kishan.

Midfielders: Shilky Devi Hemam, Anju Tamang, Indumathi Kathiresan, Sangita Basfore, and Karthika Angamuthu.

Forwards: Grace Dangmei, Soumya Guguloth, Renu, Karishma Shirvoikar, Sandhiya Ranganathan, and Apurna Narzary

Head Coach: Thomas Dennerby