Bhubaneswar: From being scolded by her parents for playing a “boys’ game” to trying to inspire aspiring girls to take up the game, Jabamani Tudu has come a long way. However, the teen has miles to go.

As in the case of many girls in the country, Tudu’s family was apprehensive of her playing football from a very young age but things started to change when she was spotted by the Odisha Sports Hostel scouts in 2011. She was in seventh standard back then.

“I come from a family of farmers in Mayurdar village of Mayurbhanj district. I had a liking for football since I was very young. I used to see boys in our village play football and think why can’t I play like them. My parents were like, ‘who will marry you if you break your leg playing football’? They used to scold me a lot but I was the only girl playing football with the boys secretly.

“When the Odisha Sports Hostel scouts came to our village in 2011 and selected me to train in their residential academy here, my parents’ attitude started changing but they were still not convinced. It was only when I was selected in the India squad for the 2015 AFC U-16 Championship qualifiers that they started believing in my abilities to take up the game as a professional,” elaborated the 19-year-old girl, youngest of five siblings.

In the absence of her statemates Pyari Xaxa and Sasmita Malik through injuries, Tudu is the only representative of Odisha in the Indian women’s team for the ongoing Gold Cup here. Asked about the burden of representing the state, Tudu said, “There’s always more than a couple of players from Odisha in the Indian team but this time only I am there as Pyari didi and Sasmita didi are out with injury. I hope to make an impact so that young girls can look up to me to take up the sport in future. Players like Sasmita didi, Shradhanjali didi (Samantray) inspired us to take up the game in some point of our career, so I owe a lot to them. I want to continue the tradition.”

Coming into the senior national team in 2016 for the SAFF Women’s Championship at the young age of 16 years, Tudu has a lot to play for in the coming years and she is aware of that. With Cristiano Ronaldo as her role model, she has also undergone a big change of playing as a left-back instead of her natural position as a striker. “I want to continue playing for India as long as I can and I am ready to change my position to suit the team’s needs. Maymol Rocky madam (India coach) changed my position after joining as the head coach since she thought my speed and abilities could be best used as a wing-back. As long as it helps my team, I am happy,” Tudu said with a smile.

Asked how she wants to secure her future, Tudu, who plays for Cuttack-based Rising Student’s Club in Indian Women’s League (IWL), signed off saying, “Right now I am playing and studying in BA first year. I would like to get a job once I complete my graduation, so that I can support my family without any trouble. Because in sports you can get injured any time and go out of play. So I need basic security. But I’m not thinking about landing a job right now. I want to continue playing for India without any fear.”

