Chandigarh striker Nandini Kumar gets shot in the arm

Deepankar Sharda

Chandigarh, August 7

Nandini Kumar, who became the first girl from Chandigarh to join a professional football club this year, got another shot in the arm after being shortlisted by the All-India Football Federation (AIFF) to attend a six-day scouting trial camp for the Indian team at Bhubaneswar.

The 15-year-old striker has been selected for the 21-member national probable camp on the basis of her performance in the U17 Women’s National Football Championship (NFC) held in Assam.

Before visiting Assam, Nandini had represented Bengaluru FC in the KSFA Women’s ‘A’ Division League and remained the top scorer of the tournament.

A student of Government Model Senior Secondary School (GMSSS), Sector 22, she also remained the top scorer of the Pre-Subroto Cup, which concluded last month in Chandigarh. She not only helped the GMSSS-22 to qualify for the Subroto Cup, but also emerged as the first girl from Chandigarh government schools to be called for the national camp. Nandini has honed her skills under the guidance of former national-level player Bhupinder Singh ‘Pinka’, under whose guidance the girls’ football team of the GMSSS-22 has achieved accolades for the past several years.

First step towards a big leap

Nandini, whose father Vijay Kumar is Class IV employee and mother is a domestic help, had started playing football after watching his brother practising. “This is a good development for her career…I must say it is the first step towards a big leap. She has been a consistent performer for us (GMSSS-22) and even for Bengaluru FC in the league. Even in Assam, she played well and Indian selectors observed her playing against strong teams,” said her coach Bhupinder ‘Pinka’. “In the recently concluded Pre-Subroto Cup, she was the top scorer of the tournament. The call for this six-day national camp is crucial for her as she will be observed not only by the national selectors but also by the coaching staff of the Indian U-17 Women’s national team. Her well-built skills help her overcome opponents and her foot skills are even better,” said Pinka. Rajiv Kumar, Principal, GMSSS-22, also congratulated Nandini and ensured all support to her.

National camp to start from Aug 10

The national camp is scheduled to be held at Bhubaneswar from August 10. The probable squad will also play practice matches against the Indian U-17 women’s national team, which is preparing for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup-2022, scheduled to be held in Bhubaneswar, from October 11, with India facing the USA in the opening tie.