Akhil Rawat
AIFF Media Team
THIMPHU, BHUTAN: Whenever Anushka Kumari puts on an India shirt, she almost always scores. Ten goals in seven international matches so far, and she's yet to turn 15 years old.
On Sunday, she scored her first hat-trick in the span of just 19 minutes against Bhutan in the SAFF U17 Women's Championship. A sizzling free-kick into the roof of the net and two right-footed strikes that nestled into the bottom corner. A special talent is brewing in Indian women's football.
It's been brewing since before she was even a teenager. She started to play at the age of six, like how most kids in India do. "At first, I used to play casually at home. Watching my elder sisters go to play made me want to go out and play as well, so that's how I began," Anushka told the-aiff.com.
When she was 11, she joined the Residential Girls Football Centre in Hazaribagh, around 80 kilometres from her hometown Rukka in the Ranchi district of Jharkhand.
"From then on, I kept moving forward. I played in the Sub Junior National Football Championship for Jharkhand. The scouts were present there. I performed my best, and from there, I was selected for the national camp," said Anushka, whose mother is a labourer and runs the household after her father suffered a fractured leg and is unable to work anymore.
And just like that, Anushka found herself wearing the blue of India at the SAFF U16 Women's Championship 2024 in Nepal. She was only 13 years old and emerged as the joint top-scorer of the tournament with five goals, scoring in every single match.
"Playing for India means a lot to me because there are so many players who attend trials from various places, and then only a few of us get selected. After that, it's even more difficult to make it to the playing XI. So being here makes me feel really happy that out of so many players, I could make it through."
But when India lost the final to Bangladesh on penalties, Anushka was left dejected. This wasn't how her maiden foray into international football was supposed to be.
"When we went to play the SAFF last year, we couldn't win the final. We felt really bad because we had worked so hard but still couldn't get the trophy home. So this time (in Bhutan), we have come with the mindset to win the trophy and take it back with us."
A diminutive but quick figure on the pitch, Anushka started out as an attacking midfielder before transitioning into a striker, while playing for Indian Arrows Women Juniors under Joakim Alexandersson during last season's IWL 2. She was her team's top-scorer with six goals, playing a big role in their runners-up finish and promotion to the IWL.
"The IWL 2 was a really good experience. Earlier, I did not know how to play as a striker. Coach Joakim put me in that role, and I learned how much a striker can contribute by scoring and helping the team. Whenever I get the ball, I have an eye for the goal. I learned a lot from playing in the league," said Anushka.
Off the pitch, her father and elder brother are her biggest supporters. "They feel so proud when they see me playing, whether on TV or on the phone. It delights them by saying, 'my daughter is playing or my sister is playing'. Whenever I need anything, I tell them, and they make sure I get it. So, I am really thankful to both of them.
"I have a lot of dreams. Going forward, I want to play for the U20s, and then the senior national team and help India win games. I want to keep scoring goals and, one day, take this team to the World Cup," aspired Anushka.
For now, the immediate task in hand is to lift the SAFF U17 Women's title on the August 31 in Thimphu. Her first hat-trick has only fuelled the fire even more as she chases her second consecutive top-scorer award. With five goals in three games, she leads the chart, closely followed by teammate Abhista Basnett at four. But as long as the team wins, it doesn't matter whose boots the goals come from.
"My team always supports me well, and since it was my first hat-trick, I am really happy that I could perform well. We want to win the SAFF and then qualify for the U17 Asian Cup in October," said Anushka.
With three wins in three, the Young Tigresses are flying in Bhutan so far. They will face the hosts again on Wednesday, August 27, at the Changlimithang Stadium at 17:30 IST. The match will be streamed live on the Sportzworkz YouTube Channel.
Ahead of the fourth match of the competition, head coach Joakim Alexandersson said, "It's been great to see many different goalscorers so far. We had a recovery session on Monday and a solid hour of training today (Tuesday). Our starts haven't been the best so far, so we are more focused and concentrated on what we want to do with the ball right from the beginning. Our defence has been decently good, but there are still things to improve."
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