But shveta

Junior Girls National Football Championship: It's no secret that over the last few years, Alakhpura, a small village in the Bhiwani district of Haryana, has made its name synonymous with women's football. Indian senior women's team regulars Sanju Yadav and Ritu Rani are household names, inspiring and making hundreds of young girls dream in a state where football is far from a popular sport. One of those is Shveta Rani, captain of the Indian U16 women's team currently participating in the SAFF U16 Women's Championship, whose dreams are starting to take flight.

Shveta is a left winger, so obviously, Sanju Yadav had to be the one she looks up to. "My big inspiration is Sanju didi," the 15-year-old prompted in a heartbeat when asked. "I also like Manisha Kalyan, since we play in the same position, and Anju Tamang. Shilky Devi too, with how her career has progressed - from an U17 player to now being a regular with the senior team."

But Shveta would not be one of those dreamers had it not been for her father, who made her play the sport. "I didn't develop an interest in football on my own. It was my father who used to push me to go and play with the village kids on the ground in the evenings. I was 12 years old. I didn't like it initially, but he continued to urge me daily. Gradually, I got the hang of it, and that's how I started playing," she explained.