Bhopal: At a national camp in Bhopal, 15-year-old Nausheen Naz trains alongside probables who own multiple kits. Naz borrows gear. Her father, Ahfaz Khan, a daily-wage labourer earning about Rs 250 a day, cannot afford 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.
Humble Beginnings
Four years ago, her journey began in a cramped, roofless rented shack in Seoni, around 380km southeast of Bhopal. A discarded, broken stick became her tool. "She borrowed a hockey stick from someone, but it was broken. Without complaining, she tied it with cloth, retied it when it split again, and kept playing," said Khan, 48.
Breakthrough came in 2023 when the MP Hockey Academy spotted her. Training, diet, and equipment followed. "The academy has been her lifeline, providing gear and training that I couldn't," the father added.
Rising Star
Youngest 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, scoring nine goals, becoming the top scorer and player of the final.
Khan watched, overwhelmed. "I shed tears seeing her today," he said. Once unsure about her pursuit due to 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 keeps forcing doors open. Younger sister Sabarika has entered the academy after talent hunts.
From Dusty Fields to National Camps
India's hockey story has long drawn strength from small towns and hard ground. 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.
Selection is not sealed yet. But momentum is unmistakable. From a cloth-bound stick to national reckoning, Naz has already cleared the toughest hurdle — belief. If form holds, the next step could carry her beyond camps and into colours she has chased without owning even her own stick.
