When Mumtaz Khan made up her mind as a kid that she wanted to make a name for herself playing hockey, her mother Qaiser Jahan wasn’t very keen. Mumtaz was adamant though as she once sneaked out during a family function to appear for a selection trial. It was her sister Farah who then convinced their mother to give Mumtaz one chance. If it worked out, let her continue with the sport.

On Sunday, in Japan’s Kakamigahara, Mumtaz Khan stood in the front of the line of Indian athletes with a goofy smile and the victory symbol. That line was that of the gold medallists at the Women’s Junior Asia Cup. For the first time in this tournament’s history, India were champions. And Mumtaz played her part in it, scoring six goals during the tournament and winning a penalty stroke in the final against Korea that gave India the lead.

And when the time came to celebrate the medal, Mumtaz knew who to call up first.

“There wasn’t WiFi there at the venue so the moment I came to the hotel, the first call went to mother,” Mumtaz told Scroll. “I knew she was waiting for the call, praying for me and for my team, that we win and come back. The last World Cup (Junior’s 2022), was a little bit disheartening for us all. So my mother had a lot of hope this time. So when I did the video call, all my family were there... I didn’t show my face, I just put my medal in front of the camera. My mother and sisters just started crying happy tears. It was such a proud moment for me.”

Indian team celebrates | Photo: AHF

Indeed, now that Mumtaz has represented India at the FIH Women’s Junior World Cup and Women’s Junior Asia Cup, her family knows she is headed in the right direction. There might have been resistance to begin with. But now there is only pride and joy.

“When I started, mummy never agreed to me playing hockey, being outside the house... we were five sisters and a younger brother,” Mumtaz recalled. She knew that perhaps her mother too was meaning well. “Kahi na kahin meri ma bhi theek thi, but I absolutely didn’t listen to her.”

Mumtaz just knew in her heart that she had to make a career out of hockey. “My dad used to run vegetable stalls, mother too,” she said. “We had a very small house. So many things... so when mother didn’t want me to pursue hockey, deep down I knew that I had to prove to them ki ‘Mummy, mein sahi thi, aap galat the’. I have done that, I even told my mummy one day ‘see how far I have come when you tried to stop me’. She replied, ‘daughter, sometimes the children are right and parents are wrong. I felt that I did the right thing for you but you did right too by believing in yourself. If you had stopped then, we wouldn’t be dreaming these dreams’. (smiles) Now it’s all good.”

‘She has always had this junoon’: Meet Mumtaz Khan, India’s daring young goalscorer

Learning from Janneke Schopman

Mumtaz was India’s leading goal-scorer in South Africa last year as they finished agonisingly short of the podium at the Junior World Cup. At the Asia Cup in Japan, she was bit more of an all-rounder, evolving in her gameplay to assist and create options too. She finished as the third best Indian goal-scorer behind Annu (9) and Deepika (7).

“We were very confident going to the tournament as a team,” Mumtaz said about the campaign in Japan. “We decided when we left that we won’t return empty-handed. The seniors trained us so well, the practice matches with them helped as they taught us about our mistakes. We kept improving even after we went there. The conditions were very tough, the rain was so heavy when we went there. Aandhi aaye, ya toofan, if the match is going on then nothing else mattered. Just look for our teammates in blue and pass to blue, score and win.”

The striker, filled with pride at her own achievements as well as the team’s, had no hesitation in admitting that it was made possible by the presence of senior India team coach Janneke Schopman, who took charge in Japan.

“She is so great on and off the field. When you go tell her that these are the areas that I want to improve, she teaches you so well,” Mumtaz said.

“In my case, it happened when I felt that I could have done better after the Malaysia match. If the junior team is the Asian champion today, it was possible solely because of coach Jann. The way she changed the team, working on the mentality of all the players. Every day we used to have 2-3 meetings. Even if there is a language barrier, she explains everything brilliantly. She writes things down on the board, passes on knowledge with the help of other coaches. She never gets angry, she had that drive too to make the junior team win a medal. Even her instructions during the match from the sidelines... such an aggressive coach, I have not seen in my life.”

So much so that Mumtaz told Schopman after the final, “Jann if you weren’t there, this gold medal wouldn’t have been possible.” And of course, knowing the former world champion from Netherlands, Schopman’s response was that the players achieved it with their hard work. But Mumtaz knew, as much as the players worked hard she worked as much. And she saw the coach tearing up.

Mumtaz Khan with Hockey India Asunta Lakra Award for Upcoming Player of the Year 2022 | Hockey India

Speaking of the improvements she has made working with Schopman, Mumtaz said: “She likes aggressive players, and I have the speed, I can press. Like what Vandana didi (Katariya) does for the senior team. So Jann told me that if I can play like that, it will be good for you. She told me not to hang onto the ball long, be on the move when you receive a pass and give it as well, create options for others, run in support of your forwards to get the ball back... all these I have been following.”

The work of the forwards wasn’t lost on Schopman either. “I was impressed with everyone. We scored a lot of goals, it’s not always easy. We had a good mix of scoring PCs and field goals, and it was a mix between different players. What was key was that the girls played to our principles, understanding what certain teams doing defensively and how we can manipulate that. They were quite good in executing game-plans and also playing unselfishly, which is nice. The decision-making in end-phase was good. As a striker you can be selfish sometimes in my opinion, but I was happy with our ability to read what the other team is doing.”

The evidence of that was in the final. With the match level at 0-0 in the second quarter, with Korea even having the better of chances perhaps, the onus was on India to find solutions. In the 22nd minute, India won a penalty corner. And it took Mumtaz’s smart work to convert that into a penalty stroke. The No 9 was alert at the far post to latch onto the flick and deflect it onto the foot of the Korean defender on the line.

“What I was happy with was our ability to use our own skills, use the talent we had,” Schopman said. “The ability to get the PCs and stroke was the difference maybe. All credit to the players, we played a variation that we don’t normally play or train that often to get that stroke. We know how well Korea were defending, they were able to adapt. Deepika had the perfect delivery, Mumtaz at the second post, we had perfect people in perfect positions.”

Of course, getting to this point hasn’t been easy either for the player from Lucknow. While her sister Farah (‘my second mother’) and childhood coach Neelam played a big role in kickstarting her journey, there were to be roadblocks from elsewhere. First in 2019 and then in 2022, the now 19-year-old suffered Anterior Cruciate Ligament injuries. While her voice is filled with child-like enthusiasm for nearly the entirety of this 20-minute conversation, the mention of the injuries brought the volume and energy down.

“Same knee, same problem, same struggle,” she said, recalling those times. “First ACL, I thought my career is over for real, I wasn’t going to play with the team anymore. I made myself too nervous. I was scared. But I got a lot of support. Hockey India’s role is also important, they know how much they have to support the players. I feel now like no injury is too big. Then the second time around, I thought back. I made my comeback after the first injury, played the Junior World Cup, scored goals.”

Of course, saying that is easy but recovering from those is a big deal for athletes with all the experience in the world, let alone someone just starting out.

“So I thought, if I could do once, why not again,” Mumtaz said, her voice slowly gaining back that energy. “After the operation I promised myself to leave the past behind and focus on getting better again. Diet, recovery... listening to the coaches and trainers. The rehab happened with the seniors, so I followed their routines. Watched training to see what everyone was working on. Now, I have made my comeback again. Seriously, now with the medal, I don’t feel like I spent all that time injured. Sab dukh, sab dard bhool gayi.”

And now, as she starts to make her mark steadily in international hockey, Mumtaz Khan’s aim is simple. She has been saving up the money she has earned. She was the FIH Rising Star of the year and Hockey India’s Upcoming Player of the Year in 2022. Hockey India announced cash rewards for the winners of the Asia Cup as well. “I feel proud that I can support my family. Our house is small. With the money I am saving, my dream is that I make a home for my mother and father. Bas ghar banana hai. I have been thinking about this for a long time, and it will happen too.”