Prolific junior hockey forward Mumtaz keen to be a 'regular' in senior women's team

Bengaluru, Sep 17, 2022, IANS

One of the brightest prospects in Indian women's hockey, Mumtaz Khan is looking forward to becoming a regular member of the senior side after her exploits in the 2022 FIH Junior World Cup, where she scored eight goals and emerged as the most prolific forward in the side.

India finished fourth at the tournament.

Mumtaz was recently nominated for the FIH Rising Star of the Year (Women) at the FIH Hockey Star Awards 2021-22, and the forward said, it was a "very big moment" in her career.

"Going forward, I want to be a regular in the Indian women's (senior) team. And for that I have to work very hard and be the best version of myself regularly. I will do my best to get to my target and help win games and medals for the country. Hopefully, I can continue to do well in the India jersey," said Mumtaz.

On her nomination for the prestigious award, she said, "I am very happy to have been nominated for the award of the FIH Rising Star of the Year (Women). This is a very big moment for me and that too it is early in my career. The achievement though is not mine, but a result of the whole team working well together. This sort of recognition is very motivating."

On her learnings from the 2022 FIH Junior World Cup, Mumtaz said, "The 2022 FIH Junior World Cup was a difficult tournament but we played well and I am happy about the fact that I scored so many goals. But I would have been happier if we had finished on the podium."