Akhil Rawat
AIFF Media Team

CHIANG MAI, THAILAND: 'Raw talent' is how coach Crispin Chettri defines Priyadharshini Selladurai, the Indian women's national team's newest goalscorer.

As a loose ball landed right in front of her feet just inside the box, the 22-year-old midfielder's eyes lit up. She took a careful touch with her side-foot and laced it into the bottom corner to score India's 11th against Mongolia, but her first ever for the country. Priyadharshini added another goal later, as she tapped in Pyari Xaxa's cutback to take India's tally to 13, marking the Blue Tigresses' biggest win in AFC competitions.

Two goals in three matches for the country, but she hasn't yet made a first XI appearance in the Indian Women's League. That's not a statement you hear every day. But her hard work in training and performances in games have made Chettri fully agree with his decision to give her a first national team call-up.

"Priyadharshini is one of our raw talents. I say that because she hasn't gotten many minutes in the IWL. But we still believed in her talent and gave her the opportunity to be part of our national team camp. And she's doing well here. However, playing in the IWL will help her a lot to mature as a player. I think we will have a very good number 10 in her, in the future," said Chettri.

Priyadharshini has been part of Chettri's squad since he first took charge ahead of the Pink Ladies Cup in February. However, she made her debut in May, in the first friendly against Uzbekistan in Bengaluru. And just 24 days later came the first goal.

"For a long time, I had been wondering if I would ever get selected for the Indian team. Now that I’ve been selected and scored a goal, I’m truly happy. I can’t even express how I felt inside. I don’t have the words to describe it. It was like a dream come true to score for the country," Priyadharshini shared.

The dream grew gradually. From playing in the paddy fields of her small village of Savalakkaran in the Thiruvarur district of Tamil Nadu, to scoring goals for India in Chiang Mai, also a city known for paddy production, the journey, as is the case with most female footballers in India, wasn't easy.

"I started playing football when I was in sixth class. I saw my seniors playing in the school, and decided to join them. I was selected for the Tamil Nadu team for the National School Games in Manipur in 2016, which was the first time I played outside my state," said the midfielder.

That became the turning point in her life. Football could be taken seriously. She liked it, and she was getting good at it. But it took time for her parents to approve of her new passion.

"I come from a place where girls aren't encouraged to pursue sports. This was like breaking a barrier for me."

But Priyadharshini had the support of her school's physical education teacher, V Muthukumar, who actively went from door to door and convinced the parents of the village to allow their girls to play football.

"We didn’t have a proper football ground, so we played on paddy fields. My coach helped us a lot. He arranged the playing equipment and even gave me my first pair of football boots. Even today, when I go back, I train in the same paddy field," she said.

What earned Priyadharshini her place in the national team were impressive performances for Tamil Nadu in the Rajmata Jijabai Trophy for the Senior Women's National Football Championship and the National Games. Before her international cap, the biggest highlight of her career remained the goal in the 2023 Senior Women's NFC final in Punjab, which won Tamil Nadu only their second-ever title.

Playing alongside her idol Indumathi Kathiresan, she went on to represent her state in the 2024 and 2025 Rajmata Jijabai Trophy and the National Games in Gujarat 2024 and Uttarakhand 2025. At the club level, she signed for Gokulam Kerala FC in 2023-24 and made five appearances off the bench in the IWL that season. But Priyadharshini took the Kerala Women's League by storm, scoring 24 goals in the Malabarians' title win and ending up as the league's top scorer.

Success with Tamil Nadu earned her a job as a block health officer at the government hospital in Alangudi, a town situated half an hour from her home.

"As I was appointed under the sports quota, I get paid leave when I'm on national duty, like right now. For people back home, it's a matter of pride that I've become the first one to play for India from my village," said Priyadharshini.

India will play Timor Leste (June 29 at 14:30 IST), Iraq (July 2 at 14:30 IST), and Thailand (July 5 at 18:00 IST) in the AFC Women's Asian Cup 2026 Qualifiers. All matches will be streamed live on Changsuek YouTube Channel and Thai Women's Football Facebook Page.