At 14, This Jharkhand Village Girl Has Scored Record-Breaking Football Hat-Tricks for India

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

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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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From barefoot beginnings to big stages

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 an assistant coach. Under her guidance, Anushka began taking the sport seriously. 

In 2021, she earned a spot at a free residential football training centre in Hazaribagh, which provided meals, accommodation, and structured coaching. The shift proved decisive, giving her regular competition and discipline, and leading to her selection for Jharkhand at the Sub-Junior National Championship.

Her breakout on the national stage came early. At just 13, she represented India at the SAFF U-16 Women’s Championship in Nepal, emerging as the joint top-scorer with five goals. 

The following year, she led the scoring charts again in the 2025 SAFF U-17 Women’s Championship, netting eight goals and driving India to the championship title as the team dominated the region.

In October 2025, Anushka played a pivotal role in another historic moment: helping India qualify for their first-ever AFC U-17 Women’s Asian Cup by scoring and creating a key goal in the comeback win against Uzbekistan.  

Off the pitch, daily life brought its own hurdles. Her father’s debilitating leg injury while working at a construction site meant her mother became the family’s main provider, and Anushka balanced football with schooling and responsibilities at home. Yet her passion never dimmed.  

Recognition and the road ahead

Anushka’s rise hasn’t gone unnoticed. In December 2025, she was honoured with the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar, one of India’s highest awards for young achievers. 

Most recently, Jharkhand’s state government recognised her achievements, promising support for sports infrastructure in her village and connecting her family with government assistance, while Anushka continues training at the Hazaribagh residential centre and continues school. 

A call to football fans

For many football fans in India, the roar that greeted Lionel Messi showed how deeply the game is loved here. That same passion has the power to shape futures much closer to home.

Across villages, small towns, and training centres far from prime-time cameras, young players like Anushka train every day with belief and ambition. They play on uneven grounds, travel long distances for matches, and carry family hopes alongside their boots. What sustains them is simple and powerful: knowing that someone is watching, cheering, and caring.

Following their journeys, sharing their stories, and asking for stronger grassroots systems turns fandom into faith. It tells a 14-year-old striker from Jharkhand that her goals matter to the nation she represents. And when that belief takes root, Indian football grows with it.

Sources

‘Barefoot beginnings, national dreams: How tribal girl from Jharkhand became U-17 Indian football’s ‘Goal Machine’’: by Shubham Tigga for The Indian Express, Published on 2 January 2026. 

‘संघर्ष से सफलता तक: ‘द गोल मशीन’ अनुष्का की बदलेगी तकदीर, फुटबॉल के प्रति जुनून को मिलेगी दिशा’: by Ravi Sinha for Navbharat Times, Published on 5 January 2026. 

‘Anushka Kumari: The diminutive 14-year-old with a shrewd eye for goal’: by Akhil Rawat for AIFF Media Team, Published on 26 August 2025. 

‘Anushka Kumari hat-trick helps India thrash Bhutan 7-0 in SAFF U-16 Women’s Championship’: by Akhil Rawat for AIFF Media Team, Published on 1 March 2024.