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.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!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 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.
U.S.Open follow modalFollow this section to personalize your feed and get instant alerts.FollowGo to your personalized feedWHY FOLLOW?Custom Feed: See the stories that matter...
In nearly five decades in politics, Ms. Bonino wielded outsize influence on Italian discourse, helping erode the political sway of the Catholic Church.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/11/world/europe/emma-bonino-italian-campaigner-dies.html
www.nytimes.com
The contractor said the pool’s new blue liner peeled and tore because of “human oversight” and a flawed plan that involved layering two incompatible...
The clock is about to start ticking on an effort to force a referendum on Saskatoon’s proposed Downtown Event and Entertainment District (DEED).
The...
The 64-year-old Michigan power plant was set to retire. Then the Trump administration intervened in a way that overstepped its authority, a court ruled.
...
The president attacked three Democrats running for Senate this week with inaccurate claims to portray them as too extreme.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/11/us/politics/trump-democats-senate-races-fact-check.html
www.nytimes.com
The 250-foot-tall edifice would alter views across Washington and Arlington Cemetery.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/03/upshot/arch-trump-historic-review.html
www.nytimes.com
