BHOPAL: At a national camp in the city, Nausheen Naz, 15, trains alongside probables who own multiple kits. Naz borrows gear. Her father Ahfaz Khan, a daily-wager earning about Rs 250 a day, cannot buy her a proper hockey stick.
No kit. No safety net. But the girl from Madhya Pradesh's Seoni is India's most exciting women's hockey forward prospect, closing in on a spot in the Under-18 Asia Cup squad for Japan from May 29.
Four years ago, her journey began in a cramped, roofless rented shack in Seoni, around 380km southeast of Bhopal. A discarded, broken hockey stick became her tool. 'Without complaining, she tied it with a cloth, tied it again when it split, and kept playing,' said Khan, 48.
Nausheen's only goal: To play for India
Breakthrough came in 2023 when MP Hockey Academy spotted her. Training, diet, equipment — all followed. 'The academy has been her lifeline, providing gear and training that I couldn't,' said her father.
Dreams quickly turned into numbers. At the 16th sub-junior women's national championship in Bihar's Rajgir earlier this month, Naz tore through defences — nine goals, top scorer, player of the final. Khan watched, overwhelmed. 'I shed tears seeing her today,' he said. Once unsure about her pursuit because of crushing poverty, he now stands firm against social pushback over her training attire. 'If anyone stops my daughter, they'll face me first.'
Naz is one of seven siblings. Hunger, space, and money remain daily constraints. Yet talent and dedication keep forcing doors open. Her younger sister Sabarika has entered the academy after talent hunts.
India's hockey story has long drawn strength from small towns and hard ground. From dusty fields to national camps, many of its finest have risen from modest homes where sport competes with survival. Naz fits that lineage — raw, relentless, unfiltered by privilege. 'I have only one goal: to play for the country,' she said, eyes fixed on the Asia Cup.
