The Next Big Thing in Indian Hockey! Take a look ahead. Mumtaz Khan is a source of pride for her parents.

 

Mumtaz Khan is a quick forward with the potential to be a long-term contributor to Indian  women's hockey. Considering the obstacles she overcame in life to earn a junior India jersey at the FIH Junior Women's World Cup, the 18-year-path old's to the goal appears to be far less stressful.

India lost the bronze medal match to England, but they won hearts with their fighting spirit throughout the tournament, which was held in Potchefstroom (South Africa). Mumtaz scored twice in regulation time, fooling the defenders with quick thinking and quicker reflexes in a tie for third place.

England won the bronze medal 5-2 (3-0 on penalties), and a tearaway on the Indian wing is likely to be remembered among the joy. Temperament for a high-stakes match

Mumtaz of Lucknow has faced so much adversity in her life, just to play hockey growing up in a large family whose source of income was selling vegetables, that sizing up the situation on the hockey pitch in a sport played at such a breakneck pace will be easier on her nerves.

Mumtaz, the fourth of seven siblings, had a lot on her hands aside from studies and recreation, supporting her father Hafiz Khan, who sold vegetables in a mandi. The daughter-father relationship aided her later in life. Sport was not on the agenda when a family was struggling to make ends meet.

Women's hockey is rife with stories of players from tough backgrounds from various states, toughened by daily survival, putting their best foot forward at the highest level. 

Indian hockey would have lost a talented forward who was making waves in a FIH competition in South Africa if her parents had put a stop to her decision to prioritise sports over studies and help run the business. Mumtaz's eldest sister persuaded their mother to give their sports-obsessed sibling one chance.

This anxiety in families to allow a girl child to pursue her dreams, worried about a lack of financial resources to support the athlete, amidst advice from well-wishers against the decision, appears in the scripts of Hindi sports movies. Real life in sports is more difficult, and the journey is more lonely.

Mumtaz's pace on the wing and knack for goals earned the daughter of a vegetable a chance to shine at a higher level.

Mumtaz's eldest sister persuaded their mother to give their sports-obsessed sibling one chance.

This anxiety in families to allow a girl child to pursue her dreams, worried about a lack of financial resources to support the athlete, amidst advice from well-wishers against the decision, appears in the scripts of Hindi sports movies. Real life in sports is more difficult, and the journey is more lonely.