Bhopal: Remember Nausheen Naz, the 15-year-old girl from Madhya Pradesh’s Seoni district, who built her hockey dreams on a broken and discarded stick and was picked for the selection camp for the upcoming Under-18 Asia Cup in Japan? Bringing her incredible stick skills to the fore, the rising teen capped off a commanding display by the Indian U-18 women’s hockey team as they overwhelmed Australia 4-1 in the last of the four‑match exposure series at the Udhav Das Mehta Central SAI Centre on Wednesday morning.The spectacular showing will put her firmly in the national reckoning, as Hockey India announces the national team for Asia Cup in the next few days.The young forward, who has been steadily growing in prominence throughout the tour, sealed India’s emphatic victory with a polished strike in the 50th minute, ensuring the hosts finished the series on a high ahead of the Asia Cup later this month.Nausheen’s late intervention at the rival goalmouth — a confident finish from close range after sustained pressure inside the Australian circle — underlined her knack for arriving at the right place at the right time, providing the finishing touches to a fine comeback win for the girls.Australia struck first through Aurora Kovacevich in the eighth minute, catching the Indian defence off guard and taking an early lead. The setback, however, only deepened India’s resolve. Captain Sweety Kujur restored parity in the 13th minute with a composed finish to level the match before the first quarter ended.Momentum then swung decisively in India’s favour when Diya put the hosts ahead on the half‑hour mark, finishing a well‑constructed attack to make it 2-1 at halftime.India asserted control after the interval, with Priyanka Minz extending the lead in the 44th minute. But it was Nausheen’s intervention that crystallised the win. Her 50th‑minute strike followed a period of intense Indian pressure — a sequence of crisp passes and sustained circle entries that eventually created the opening.The goal not only added gloss to the scoreline but also highlighted Nausheen’s ability to perform under pressure, a trait the team will rely on in the upcoming continental challenge.Coaches and teammates lauded Nausheen’s composure and timing, pointing to her growing importance within the squad’s attacking framework. Her ability to latch on to rebounds and convert chances has been a recurring theme during the exposure tour, and Wednesday’s match reinforced her credentials as a key attacking option for India’s U-18 side.Despite the convincing final result, Australia won the four‑match series 3-1.For the Indian youngsters, though, the win in the closing match carries immense significance as it has filled them with new belief and momentum going into the U-18 Asia Cup.
