DESCRIPTION:
* As many as five girls from Odisha have been included in the 23-member Indian squad for the above-mentioned championship.
* They are: Subha Darshini Patra, Eva Panna, Jabamani Tudu, Sasmita Behera and Srijana Tamang.
* Former India woman football captain Sradhanjali Samantaray, who is also from Odisha and Maymol Rocky from Goa will accompany the squad as head coach and assistant coach respectively.
* Placed in Group B along with United Arab Emirates (UAE), Jordan, Iran, and hosts Bangladesh, India will be opening their campaign against Iran at Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka on October 17.
* Hosts Bangladesh will lock horns with India in the next game two days later with UAE and Jordan following up next on October 21 and 23 respectively.
* Only one team will make the cut from each of the four groups in the qualifying stage with the top four teams of the AFC U-16 Women’s Championship in China last year -- Japan, DPR Korea, China PR and Thailand – are already in the eight-nation Finals.
* India for the record have never qualified for the main round barring the inaugural edition in 2005 where no qualification was required as only eight teams took part.
* In that edition, India finished third in Group A which also had 2009 champions South Korea, Thailand and Indonesia.
INDIAN SQUAD:
Goalkeepers: Subha Darshini Patra (Odisha), Shreya Hooda (Haryana), Linthoingambi Devi Maibam (Manipur).
Defenders: Thahenbi Devi Maharabam (Manipur); Eva Panna, JabamaniTudu, Sasmita Behera (all Odisha); Scindia Veganand Saundatikar (Goa), Karen Kenneth Pais (Mumbai), Amrita Kumari (Bihar).
Mid-fielders: Premi Chiru, Kashmina (both Manipur); Lifa Gama, Anline Sharmila Fernandes (both Goa); Nisha (Haryana), Srijana Tamang (Odisha), Atisha Pratap Singh (Delhi), Mansi Vakharia (Ahmedabad).
Forwards: Sushmita Bardhan (West Bengal), Daya Devi Heigrujam, Roja Devi Asem (both Manipur), Anushka Samuel (Delhi), Adhithi Rajagopal (Tamil Nadu).
Head coach: Maymol Rocky (Goa); Assistant coach: Sradhanjali Samantray (Odisha).