Bhubaneswar: On the occasion of 2nd Samabartan Utsav, National Institute of Science and Technology (NIST) has honored former Indian women’s football team captain Shradhanjali Samantary with a doctorate. The honorary doctorate was conferred in a ceremony held at Berhampur on Friday. Odisha Governor Dr Hari Babu Kambhampati presented her the award and certificate.
Shradhanjali made her debut for the State team in 1991 and proudly represented the country for 14 years. She captained the team in the year 2005. In the last three decades she represented the nation in different capacities to develop and popularise women football.
Sradhanjali (born 7 May 1978 in Banapur, Odisha) is an Indian football coach and former footballer. She currently serves as the assistant coach of the India women's national under-20 football team. She was the first footballer from the State to represent and captain the India women's national football team.
She has served as the head coach of Odisha Police in the 2021–22 Indian Women's League and as the assistant coach of the Odisha women's football team in the national tournaments. She is a former Indian international footballer and has served as the captain of the India women's national football team.
In 2014, she was appointed as assistant coach of India's U-16 Girls Football team for the 2015 Asian Football Confederation Cup. In 2025, she completed 34 years in the field of football in various capacities.
