With the Indian women's cricket and basketball teams achieving historic feats over the past couple of weeks that captured the imagination of the public, the buzz around women's sports in the country is unmistakable. And, there's another set of girls trying to tap into this surge of popularity: the Indian women's football team.

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What's more, they have already broken one glass ceiling.

The Indian women's senior football team got its first-ever female coach, Maymol Rocky, last month. And under her, the team defeated Malaysia 2-0 at their den in an international friendly a week ago.

The triumph is all the more commendable considering the fact that this was the Indian women team's first international friendly in more than four years, and that in their last outing – the 2018 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers in April – the team lost three of its four matches.

Maymol said she believes the victory against Malaysia could be the start of something special for women's football in India as well, and she and her team are looking no further than their cricketing counterparts for inspiration.

"When we were in the camp (in New Delhi), we heard that the cricketers were in the final. We all watched the final together when we got a little bit of free time. The girls were inspired by just watching them play at that big stage.

They thought, 'if they can, why can't we?' It wasn't a comparison, they just wanted to be there as well," Maymol told DNA.

"So, when we won our match against Malaysia, the girls were equally happy. I told them, 'winning always gives you this feeling'," she added.

The former India right-back believed the positive show by women across various sports will change the scenario of women's sports in India, both at the as well as the bottom.

"The girls are doing much better overall at the moment. Parents will now not worry if their girl wants to pursue a career in sports, because even the accessibility and other things have increased. So yes, this will only inspire girls to take up sports and believe that they can make it big there. Not just in football, but any sport in the country," she said.

And there can't be a better example of that than Maymol herself. Working as an assistant under former coach Sajid Dar, the Kerala-born footballer aspired to break the barriers and become the first female coach of the senior national women's football side.

Coaching became her passion ever since she hung up her boots as a professional player. Working with the Sports Authority of Goa, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) tasked Maymol with the role of coaching the junior teams from 2012, after which she graduated to the senior ranks as an assistant coach.

However, her dream was always the top post.

She got the opportunity to fulfill it last month after the departure of Dar. "Ever since I took up coaching, it has always been a dream," Maymol said after her appointment. "The real job starts now."

So far, she has loved every moment of the time spent with the girls in a 10-day camp in New Delhi and the Malaysia tour.

"This exposure has bought a lot of confidence in me as a coach, besides the girls. It is great working with the senior girls. The girls make you feel much more comfortable. I think the girls were also much more comfortable with me again," she said.

It perhaps reflected in the result too, achieved with a younger squad under her wings.

"The girls got into my boat, and we were sailing together," she said with a chuckle.

"It was one of the best performances by the team to begin with. It's just the start, and the start was good. We hope a bright future is following us," she added.

And for that, the coach is hoping the All India Football Federation (AIFF) gives them more international friendlies to play in, besides the upcoming Indian Women's League and Nationals.

"If we play more international matches, we will raise the standard of women's football in India. The girls will gain more confidence, because if you don't play any international friendlies and you suddenly go to a big tournament, it is vastly different in terms of mindset and confidence. Hopefully, if we do get a chance to play more friendlies in the future, the girls will get more opportunities.

"We believe the girls are ready for bigger challenges," she said.