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In the recently concluded Women's Under-23 Three-Nations tournament, the Indian senior team suffered two back-to-back losses against Sweden and the United States of America.
However, national team forward Naorem Priyangka Devi underlined that irrespective of the results, playing against such high-ranked teams helped the Blue Tigresses accumulate valuable exposure.
The 19-year-old, in an exclusive interaction with Sportskeeda, stressed that if India continue to play such demanding matches, they'll continue to grow and might eventually. She explained:
"Playing against Sweden and USA gave us a lot of joy and pride as they are two of the highest-ranked teams in women's football. These matches also gave us a lot of experience.
"Yes, we lost both the matches but I am not very disappointed. In football, one team wins, one team loses, that's the way it is. But we scored against the USA team, so that makes me very proud. Next time, if we work harder, we can get better results."
After becoming India's top-scorer in the 2021 SAFF U-19 Women's Championship with four goals, Priyangka Devi broke into the senior team setup. The last few months have witnessed the Manipuri striker's rise to the top brass of women's football.
How has this been the season unfolding for the youngster? She averred:
"Obviously, this year has been much different compared to last year. We didn't get to play many matches in 2021, but this time we played a lot more, and I have also been working harder."
"I am very proud of that" - Naorem Priyangka Devi on scoring the winner against Egypt in April
In April, Priyangka Devi announced herself at international level when she scored the winning goal in her debut match against Egypt. She tucked home a neat cross from Dalima Chhibber in the first half itself.
Reminiscing about the night, she said:
"The match against Egypt was a memorable experience. It was my first match for the senior team and I also ended up scoring the winning goal in that very game. I am very proud of that."
The Manipur-born forward was the recipient of the 'Emerging Player of the Season' award for the 2021-22 campaign of the Indian Women's League (IWL).
Priyangka Devi scored nine goals in 11 matches during the season. Meanwhile, Apurna Narzary, her forward partner at Indian Arrows, ably complimented her.
The duo racked up 18 goals together throughout the season and their on-field chemistry shows there's a special bond to be nurtured. She said in this regard:
"When we [Priyangka and Apurna] played for the Indian Arrows, we used to communicate a lot on and off the pitch. Our positions are similar too, so during matches we used to help and support each other. After the game, we used to sit down and talk about our individual mistakes and try to improve together."
Concluding the interaction, Priyangka also lauded interim national team boss Suren Chhetri, who coached Indian Arrows in the IWL, for his regular input and efforts to improve her individual game and also the wholesome improvement he brought about in his brief spell.
Meanwhile, the teenager insisted that she is eager to continue her push to become a mainstay in the national side in the coming months.
