logo
Sangita Basfore: India's midfield rock who also blasts goals

Sangita Basfore: India's midfield rock who also blasts goals

Indian Express08-07-2025
Before their game against Thailand, India's final match of the AFC Women's Asia Cup Qualifiers last week at the 700th Anniversary of Chiang Mai Stadium, they scribbled a message on a board in the dressing room. 'Yes! You can do it'. Ninety minutes later, midfield spearhead Sangita Basfore says, they felt it needed some tweaking, maybe to make it read: 'Yes, we did it'.
Ranked 70th and largely obscure, they had stunned 46th-placed Thailand to win the qualification group and book a spot in the 2026 AFC Women's Asia Cup in Australia. Though the country has participated twice in the event—invited for the 2003 edition and were hosts in 2022, even though they withdrew due to Covid-19 outbreak in the camp–this is the first time they have progressed via the qualification system.
At the heart of the triumph was Sangita scoring a worldie to put her side in front in the 29th minute and add a scruffy second to restore India's lead, which they then fiercely safeguarded. When the final whistle blew, coach Crispin Chhetri sank to the ground, something he says he rarely does. As did Sangita, uncontrollably shedding tears of joy. 'All the hard work, all the heartbreaks, all the previous matches we couldn't win, flashbacks of everything came all together. Finally we achieved it and we could come back home happy,' Sangita tells The Indian Express.
'I am a defensive midfielder,' the 28-year-old asserts. She loves that position as well, even though depositing the ball into the back of the net was the piece of action that drew her into the game, when she was a little girl at the academy run by her uncle and former Mohun Bagan player Bijay Basfore.
It's a universal theme—most kids start playing football for the joy of scoring goals. 'At the time I loved shooting the ball. Shooting practice was my favourite pastime and I would just play barefoot with boys during their practice. I would hide their ball sometimes and play with it. This should be around 2007,' she remembers.
Bijay's seasoned eyes saw a spark in her, a gift for the game. Convincing her mother was difficult. But they coaxed her, and the mother gave her Rs 250 to buy boots and such stuff. She proudly says it was the last time she took money from her parents to play football. 'Football gave me a lot and because of this sport, I managed to give my family financial stability,' says Sangita.
This perspective kept her glued to the game during the tough years. In 2021, Sangita sustained an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. A nightmare of an injury for most footballers, especially for box-to-box midfielders, who bust their lungs and cover an incredible part of the real estate. She underwent surgery in October that year and started the arduous task of rehabilitation. She couldn't touch a football for the next nine months. Worse, she had to foot the bill for the rehabilitation herself, from the salary she received from her job at the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB).
But the cruellest blow of all came shortly after she returned from surgery. 'My father passed away shortly after I got back home after my surgery,' says Sangita.
'At the time I just couldn't understand how to handle myself. My mother was alone at home. Even today to a certain extent I worry about her when she is alone at home because parents tend not to tell their kids what is in their mind,' she adds.
But she drew the energy to fight back from the game. 'A lot was happening at the time but I stayed strong, stayed focussed that I needed to play again and so my mother would be fine. It is because of this sport that we were able to find financial stability at home, I have been able to give my mother, my sister and her kids a good life. So at no point did I ever consider quitting,' she says.
Sangita had made her international debut in 2015 but says she could never really fit into the forward line. Maymol Rocky, the then national coach, told her that she has the capability to play further back. Sangita started browsing the videos of Toni Kroos and Casemiro, defensive midfield virtuosos of the time.
'So I watched videos of how the likes of Casemiro and Toni Kroos would go about their job in that position. Even today I try to learn from them,' she says.
She seamlessly shifted to the new role and impressed coach Chhetri, who had little hesitation in installing her as the side's beating heart in the qualifiers, along with her midfield partner Ratanbala Nongmaithem. 'Sangita is the kind of player who makes others around her look better. Because she takes that much load. Players like Sangita and Ratan deserve those two goals because they sacrifice everything. The things Sangita has gone through, recovered through all that pain, got back in the national team, in the starting eleven. She deserved to score those two important goals,' said Chhetri. And take India and herself into a dreamland.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Neymar Angrily Confronts Fan After Loss As Santos' Relegation Woes Continue: WATCH
Neymar Angrily Confronts Fan After Loss As Santos' Relegation Woes Continue: WATCH

News18

time3 hours ago

  • News18

Neymar Angrily Confronts Fan After Loss As Santos' Relegation Woes Continue: WATCH

Last Updated: Neymar confronted a fan after his stoppage-time goal was disallowed, leading to Santos' 2-1 defeat against Internacional. Santos, now 17th in Serie A, faces relegation worries. Neymar was involved in a tense confrontation with a fan on Wednesday night after his dramatic stoppage-time goal was disallowed, sealing a 2-1 home defeat for Santos against Internacional and deepening the club's relegation worries in the Brazilian Serie A. The 33-year-old striker, who returned to his boyhood club this year amid high expectations, approached the stands at Vila Belmiro following the final whistle. Videos circulating on social media show Neymar visibly agitated, exchanging heated words with a fan appearing to criticize him. Santos lost once again last night and they now find themselves in the RELEGATION zone. 🇧🇷After the game, Neymar got into a heated argument with fans. 😤 — Football Tweet ⚽ (@Football__Tweet) July 24, 2025 Santos had been chasing the game after going two goals down. Alvaro Martin Barreal pulled one back just a minute into stoppage time, giving home fans hope of a late comeback. Moments later, Neymar appeared to have equalized with a powerful left-footed strike, celebrating in front of an ecstatic crowd. But the joy quickly turned to dismay as the referee ruled the ball had not fully crossed the goal line. Boos erupted around the stadium, and Santos' hopes were dashed. The loss leaves Santos 17th in the 20-team Brazilian Serie A, currently occupying one of the four relegation spots with just over half the season played. Neymar's Troubled Return to Santos Neymar's homecoming has been far from the fairytale many fans envisioned. Returning to Santos—where he rose to global stardom before stints at Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain—the Brazilian icon has endured a difficult season. Since rejoining the club earlier this year, Neymar has managed only a handful of appearances. He missed several matches due to a recurring ankle injury, which had sidelined him for most of the previous year. His form has been inconsistent when available, and disciplinary issues have compounded his troubles: he was sent off in a key fixture for a deliberate handball and later tested positive for COVID-19, further limiting his contributions. So far, Neymar has scored just two goals in eight league appearances and has yet to complete a full 90 minutes in consecutive matches. While flashes of brilliance remain, his return has been marred by setbacks that mirror the broader struggles of a Santos side flirting with relegation for the first time in their history. Santos, one of Brazil's most storied clubs and the former home of Pelé, have never been relegated from the top division. But with the season slipping away and internal tensions rising, the pressure on Neymar and the entire squad continues to mount. view comments Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Meet Divya Deshmukh, the 19-year-old IM taking the world of chess by storm
Meet Divya Deshmukh, the 19-year-old IM taking the world of chess by storm

Indian Express

time4 hours ago

  • Indian Express

Meet Divya Deshmukh, the 19-year-old IM taking the world of chess by storm

It's been a barnstorming campaign in Batumi for the 19-year-old Divya Deshmukh, who became the first-ever Indian player to enter the FIDE Women's World Cup final in the Georgian city on Wednesday after defeating Tan Zhongyi, a former women's world champion. 102 other players started the FIDE Women's World Cup hoping to be in the position Divya finds herself today: a finalist which also ensures she gets a spot at the FIDE Women's Candidates Tournament. The win over China's Tan also ensures Divya seals the first of the three norms needed to become India's only fourth woman to be a grandmaster. Divya's challenger in the final will be decided on Thursday, when the veteran Koneru Humpy and China's Lei Tingjie fight in the tiebreaks, which means there could be an India vs India fight for the title. The win over Tan Zhongyi was particularly memorable for the girl from Nagpur: after ending the first game with a quick draw, Divya and Tan duelled for over five hours, making just over 100 moves each to emerge triumphant. Tan has been a women's world champion as late as 2018 and just earlier this year was fighting in the women's world chess championship to reclaim the crown. 'What's the fun of going into the final the easy way? Wouldn't be me if it wasn't dramatic,' Divya wrote on her social media after the win over Tan. Remarkably, while her opponent was fighting for the greatest title of all in women's chess this year, it was only in June last year that Divya became the world junior champion. It's taken her 13 months to find herself on the cusp of winning one of the most treacherous tournaments in chess. Divya's run to the final can only be compared to the one that Praggnanandhaa made in 2023 at the FIDE World Cup as an 18-year-old, defeating players like Arjun Erigaisi, World No.3 Fabiano Caruana and World No.2 Hikaru Nakamura before losing the final to Magnus Carlsen. Just like Pragg's 2023 moment, at the ongoing World Cup, Divya had dispatched Serbian IM Teodora Injac, world No.6 from China Zhu Jiner, veteran Indian grandmaster Dronavalli Harika before beating a former women's world champion. 'This is a huge achievement. The fact that she beat players like Zhu Jiner, Tan Zhongyi and Harika is quite impressive. She's someone who has a lot of potential, so I wouldn't say this is unexpected. But people were waiting for this and it's nice that she's delivered,' five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand told The Indian Express. 'Personally, this represents a breakthrough. Because her results at the FIDE Women's Grand Prix events (which she played recently) weren't at this level. This will be a huge boost to her confidence,' added Anand. Divya has attended multiple sessions at Anand's Westbridge Anand Chess Academy (WACA) to sharpen her game play. As late as 2023, Divya wasn't even certain she wanted to pursue chess full-time. Divya had told The Indian Express in an interaction after winning the title at the Tata Steel Chess India's rapid tournament in Kolkata, that she was 'still exploring' if she wants to continue playing chess full time or focus on further studies. 'A lot fascinates me. I'm not sure which field to choose,' she had said then. Divya's tryst with chess started almost accidentally. As the teenager had recounted in 2023: 'I started playing the sport accidentally. My sister used to go to badminton classes, one day my parents took me as well. But I was just four or five years old then, and I didn't even reach the badminton net. There was a chess class happening in the same building, so my parents took me there. I liked the sport. Then, I just stuck with chess.' While her elder sister stopped playing badminton a while back, Divya's conquests on the board have brought her closer to becoming the fourth Indian woman to become a grandmaster. Ask grandmaster Abhijit Kunte, who has seen Divya's rise from close quarters, what her best attributes are, and he says: 'She has always been very brave, someone never afraid to experiment.' But Kunte points out that she didn't have too much exposure to elite top-level chess before this year, when she played in multiple events of the FIDE Women's Grand Prix. Anand, meanwhile, praises Divya for her penchant for attacking chess. 'She does lean (towards) aggressive (chess). But that seems to be the general trend in women's chess these days,' he said. Kunte, on the other hand, is impressed by Divya's maturity at the age of 19. After the first game with Tan ended in a draw, Divya was almost disappointed with herself, even though she had held one of the strongest players in women's chess to a draw with black pieces. Then after the 101-move rollercoaster in the second game which saw her beat Tan, Divya was again thinking of ways she could have done better. 'I could have played much better. I was winning at one point, then I messed up in the middle game. I should have had a much smoother win,' Divya admitted in an interview right after the win. 'This kind of maturity at 19 is not easy to get. It's very rare in women's chess,' Kunte had said.

Pant likely out with fractured toe; India's injury list grows in Manchester
Pant likely out with fractured toe; India's injury list grows in Manchester

Business Standard

time7 hours ago

  • Business Standard

Pant likely out with fractured toe; India's injury list grows in Manchester

India's fourth Test campaign at Old Trafford suffered a massive setback ahead of Day 2, as wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant was ruled out for six weeks due to a fracture in his toe, according to BCCI sources quoted by media reports. The development all but confirms Pant's absence not just for the remainder of the ongoing Test, but also the fifth and final match at The Oval. According to a BCCI source quoted by The Indian Express, the medical team is currently evaluating whether Pant can take a painkiller and return to bat later in the innings if required. However, he still requires support to walk, and the prospects of him batting again appear bleak. The Indian team management has reportedly enquired about the possibility of sending Pant back in if needed, but the overall outlook remains grim. Grimace, hobble, and a carted exit The incident occurred in the 68th over of India's innings when Pant, batting confidently on 37, attempted a reverse sweep against seamer Chris Woakes. He missed the ball, which took an inside edge before thudding into his right toe. He fell to the ground almost immediately, clearly in visible agony, clutching his foot. Physios rushed in as Pant lay flat, wincing and grimacing with a bloodied cut and a foot that had already begun to swell. He removed his gloves, hobbled off the field, and was eventually taken away on a medical cart. Ravindra Jadeja took the field in his place. Former internationals Ricky Ponting and Michael Atherton, analysing the moment on Sky Sports, were quick to note the seriousness of the injury. 'He hardly put his foot on the ground. The immediate swelling was a worry for me. I've had a metatarsal injury myself… those are small, fragile bones,' said Ponting. 'The fact he couldn't put any weight on it, it doesn't look good at all.' India's selection crisis escalates India's injury list now reads like a medical chart. Pant joins Nitish Kumar Reddy (knee), Akash Deep (groin) and Arshdeep Singh (thumb) on the sidelines, leaving the team stretched thin ahead of a crucial phase in the series. With Pant ruled out of the fifth Test at The Oval (July 31–August 4), the selectors are expected to add Ishan Kishan to the squad. Pant's departure left India one batter short, a hole that England may look to exploit when play resumes. At stumps on Day 1, India stood at 264 for 4, with Jadeja and Shardul Thakur having seen off the final phase after the loss of Sai Sudharsan. 'If he is out of the game… out of the series, then that's a massive blow to India,' said Michael Atherton. 'That 264 for four becomes 264 for five. With the new ball due, there is potential to knock India over reasonably swiftly tomorrow. But if he returns to bat, he could change the game.' A series of bruises This is the second time in the series that Pant has battled injury. He was already nursing a bruised left index finger sustained while keeping in the Lord's Test, and had only just returned to full duties. Now, with a toe fracture, India's talisman behind the stumps finds himself sidelined once more—leaving the team with tough decisions and little time.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store