Under the bright floodlights of Changlimithang Stadium in Thimphu, a young Indian footballer darts past defenders with a confidence that defies her age. 

It is during India’s SAFF U-17 Women’s Championship clash against Bhutan that her feet move instinctively through defenders. Her focus is intense, and when she strikes, the ball nestles in the net with precision. 

This is Anushka Kumari Munda, known among teammates as ‘The Goal Machine’. At just 14, she is rewriting what’s possible for young footballers in India.

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Born in Rukka, a small Adivasi village outside Ranchi in Jharkhand, Anushka’s earliest memories of football were spent playing barefoot on uneven fields with boys from her community.

Her first coach was her aunt, Soni Kumari, a national-level footballer and now........

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