Dalima Chibber, India women's team defender, expressed herself on the hardships and journey her team went through to prepare for the AFC Women's Asian Cup 2022.
Although India's journey in the marquee tournament was cut short due to Covid-19, the 24-year-old Indian player shared her emotions to Zee News English on Saturday (March 5).
A dozen players from the Indian football team were tested for Covid-19 in their bio-bubble. As a result, India failed to play versus Chinese Taipei in their second match of Group A of the AFC Women's Asian Cup 2022. India were forced to withdraw their team as the rules required minimum 13 players available at that time.
Clearly, Team India and Dalima were heartbroken by the early exit from the tournament. When asked about the preperations for the tournament and tour, Dalima replied, " It hurt a lot to everyone in the team because everyone were away from their families, personal life and home. Everything in our life was paused and we had only one goal, which was to compete and perform good in the tournament. We prepared a lot for it and wanted to showcase what we gained with the exposure we got it outside the country. Yes it was a sad experience, Overall."
When asked about the whole controversy after India women's team coach stating AFC's bio-bubble security as "FOOL-PROOF", Dalima said, " I have nothing to say on that and I'm going to stick with what the coach said."
India women's team, during their preparations for the Asian Cup went to a tour where they played high-rated Brazil women's team. Sharing on the experience, she said, "It was a great experience for each and everyone in the team, the exposure of playing against a team like Brazil gave us a lot of confidence and experience. We also chatted with the players after the game and it was a wonderful experience."
Currently, India women's team has nothing lined up and the fans still wait for an announcement on when will they witness Indian women's football team in action.
Dalima said, "As of now, we also don't have any update but hopefully till next month we'll know about it."
However, if we talk about consistency, Dalima has already made a place for herself in the women's football team of India. An athlete needs to sacrifice a lot and follow what his/her nutriotionist says blindly. Along with this, an athelete needs support and appreciation what he/she is doing.
Dalima is associated with a brand named Steadfast Nutrition, which launched a one-of-a-kind initiative to put the spotlight on the neglected issue of women athletes who have silently revolutionised Indian sports. The campaign reached a crescendo with a high-profile event in Noida on March 5 where Dalima interacted with a Zee media journalist.
During the event Dalima also shared an example on stage about the hardships women face in India. "Every time I was out on the football field, I had to prove that women can play. I grew up playing with guys. There were no tournaments for women," said Dalima.
The owner of the company Aman Puri, highlighted his company's support to the Women athletes who have silently broken barries unlike some known sports celebrities, he said: "While Indian sports has several poster girls like Sania Mirza, Mithali Raj, PV Sindhu, and Saina Nehwal, today we have succeeded in highlighting the contribution of Iron Women who have silently broken barriers without featuring in headlines in the fields of football, bodybuilding, powerlifting, and cycling, defying gender stereotypes."
