We will give USA a good fight: India captain Astam Oraon

India captain Astam Oraon

India captain Astam Oraon seemed nervously confident on the eve of her team's FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup 2022 opening match against USA at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar.

Addressing the media at the official pre-match press conference, alongside India head coach Thomas Dennerby, Oraon said that her teammates are "most excited" ahead of the showpiece event. "The team is excited to play against the USA. It's good to finally get the tournament started. We have been training together well for the last six-seven months. Tomorrow, we have to express ourselves on the field," said Oraon, who hails from Jharkhand's Gumla district.

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Oraon's parents are agricultural daily-wage labourers, so hard work is ingrained in this tough deep defender. And she expects the same tough attitude from her team. "Our entire focus is on the upcoming matches. Nothing else matters to us now. We need to get some good rest today. All our players are feeling strong, both physically and mentally. We will give our opponents a good fight tomorrow," she added.

Team India's Young Tigresses are placed in Group A, alongside USA, Morocco (match on October 14) and Brazil (October 17) in the four-group 16-team competition being held in Bhubaneswar, Margao and Navi Mumbai. The top two teams from each group will qualify for the quarter-finals. The other participating teams are Germany, Nigeria, Chile, New Zealand (all Group B), Spain, Colombia, Mexico, China (all Group C), Japan, Tanzania, Canada, France (all Group D).