Having earned close to four years of experience with the Junior India women setup, forward Lalrindiki now has her eyes on breaking into the senior team and realizing her dream of playing in the Olympics. Football star Cristiano Ronaldo was her role model growing up in Hnahthial, Mizoram. In recent years, though, Lalrindiki is inspired by senior team member Lalremsiami’s rapid rise.

“She [Lalremsiami] has always been helpful,” said Lalrindiki. “Whenever we meet, she always gives me pointers on how to improve and what it takes to get to play for the senior team. She has paved the way for many other girls in Mizoram to follow in her footsteps. I like her technique and she works very hard on her game. I, too, want to play for the senior team in the near future,” the 20-year-old added.

While Lalremsiami, also 20 and a forward, was creating history with the senior team, Lalrindiki was quietly making her presence felt in the national setup. Last month, Lalrindiki was a part of Junior India women’s tour of Chile, where the visitors ended the tour unbeaten. She says the good results in South America were a result of consistent efforts to get better. “It was frustrating to not play any matches for a year or so because of Covid-19,” Lalrindiki reflected on 2020-’21. “Even when at home, I was constantly trying to work on my game. For example, I worked on getting better at one-on-situations.”