JAIPUR: "I have put in so much of hard work all these years, and now I am happy to see those years of hard work finally bearing fruit," said midfielder Sangita Basfore , the only footballer from Bengal in the Indian Squad for the SAAF Games.She said there was a time when no one expected that India can emerge as a major sporting powerhouse in women's football. "But today I am sure they will have second thoughts," she said after India opened their campaign in the SAAF championship with a comprehensive win over Afghanistan "I must say that It is a huge achievement for reigning champions India and I completely understand what kind of sacrifices and hard work goes into reaching there," the midfielder said.Sangita is happy that India have started their campaign on a winning note. "We proved our strength as we routed the Afghan team 5-1 in a Group B opening match."Although the Indian defenders show their resilience to thwart the Afghani girls' every effort, finally the deadlock was broken two minutes before the regulation time. Muhtaz Farkhunda tapped it home to net their first goal of the tournament sending the Afghanistan dressing room into celebration. "That was the only lapse and we had to pay for that," she explained.Sangita feels it's very important for a footballer to start well in any tournament because it gives you confidence. Talking about her earlier days, she said facing hard times in childhood is good and all the young girls should go through hard times."Today, It's great to see so many girls playing different tournaments, training developing themselves and I think the future of women's football is pretty bright."