The 2024 Men’s Junior Asia Hockey Cup in Muscat, Oman, went more or less according to script. India, which is No 2 in FIH junior rankings, won the final, defeating Pakistan, the second-ranked Asian side (No. 9 in FIH junior rankings).

For Pakistan, the big performers were mostly the usual suspects who have appeared for the national (senior) side in recent times. There were five of them. The team’s vice captain, Sufyan Khan — the 2024 FIH Rising Star of the Year — was the tournament’s top scorer, with 12 goals. Captain Hannan Shahid, Pakistan’s best forward, also shone. Both won ‘Player of the Match’ awards.

One such award also went to Mohammad Imad, who has also represented the national side. But the real surprise package of the tournament was Pakistan’s goalkeeper, Faizan Janjua, who is yet to play for the national team.

At the Junior Asia Cup, Pakistan started with easy wins against the minnows: Bangladesh 6-0, Oman 7-0 and China 7-2. In the last pool match, Pakistan came across Malaysia, the only tough opponent. Avoiding India in the semi-final was an incentive for the pool winner.

The surprise package of the recently-concluded Men’s Junior Asia Hockey Cup was Pakistan’s up-and-coming goalkeeper Faizan Janjua, who may soon also represent the senior side. What has his journey been like?

Although the final score was 4-1 in Pakistan’s favour, it was 2-1 going into the last 10 minutes. Malaysia strove hard and had many penalty corners and open-play chances. Faizan made several outstanding saves during the match and was named the Player of the Match — goalkeepers don’t frequently win the title.

In the semi-final against Japan, he again rose to the occasion at the most crucial stage. Japan had made it 2-2 in the 41st minute. Faizan made three excellent saves to deny Japan going ahead. Pakistan scored two late goals to win 4-2.

India won the final 5-3 but might have won by a bigger margin had it not been for Faizan’s brilliance. Pakistan obtained two penalty corners and scored off both. India got six penalty corners but converted only three. India also had many open-play chances but he stood firm, executing some amazing saves. He was a revelation and, for Pakistan, the find of the tournament.

Faizan comes from the small town of Gujar Khan near Rawalpindi. He is the first hockey player from Gujar Khan to represent Pakistan’s national or age-group team.

“My father played hockey in his youth,” Faizan says. “He used to play with us four brothers on the ground in front of our house. After some time, we joined a local hockey club. Father told us about the PHF academy in Rawalpindi. Five days a week, our eldest brother drove the other brothers to the academy,” he adds.

Faizan, the youngest brother, was the elder brothers’ sidekick. “I mostly indulged in some hitting practice with my brothers. The PHF academy disbanded, and we switched to Nishtar HC, Islamabad’s most active hockey club.” Faizan began playing regularly and represented the team in local tournaments.

“For the Nishtar Club, I played as a forward. One of my brothers, Salman, was their goalkeeper. I could see that the goalkeeper was appreciated more. There was the best goalkeeper award, apart from the best player award in the tournaments. If the team won a match in a shoot-out, the goalkeeper was the one carried on the players’ shoulders. All this fascinated me.

“Meanwhile, another brother, Nauman, joined the Pakistan Navy team, which practised at the Naval HQ in Islamabad. I mostly accompanied him and trained on the sidelines as a goalkeeper. But for Nishtar Club, I still played in the forward line, and as goalkeeper only when my brother Salman was unavailable.”

Like Sufyan Khan, Faizan also regards joining Dar Hockey Academy as the turning point in his career. No less than five members of the runners-up Pakistan team at this Junior Asia Cup are products of the country’s finest hockey school.

“In 2017, I found the amazing Dar Hockey Academy [DHA] on Facebook. The academy team was in Europe for their fifth training tour. The academy boys were gaining selection in Pakistan’s national and junior teams. I talked to my father. He didn’t like the idea of his young son living far away in Lahore. But I insisted and he relented. Father thought his kid would soon get homesick and return home,” he says chuckling.

But Faizan was in a dreamland. “At [DHA], we eat and breathe hockey. The out-station boys live in a hostel. We are provided with excellent playing gear, get modern training by experienced coaches, and play regular matches against other teams. A good goalkeeping kit costs more than half a million rupees. Thanks to [DHA]’s resourceful president [Olympic gold medallist Tauqeer Dar] and secretary [Irfan Butt], I have always had the finest goalkeeping kit.

“I was also lucky to have an excellent coach, Waqas Butt, at the academy. A former junior international goalkeeper, he trained me along modern lines in all the aspects of goalkeeping.”

After a few months of training, Faizan was good enough for the national age-group competition.

“In November 2017, PHF’s Under-16 Boys National Hockey Championship was scheduled in Khairpur. I went for the trials. Punjab was entering four teams. I was thrilled to see my name in the first string. A couple of days before the event, however, a ball hit my eye during practice. I had to get many stitches. The team management told me that I might not be able to give my best for our first team, which was favourite for the title. I was demoted to Punjab Blues, the fourth string,” he shares.

What transpired at Khairpur was the stuff dreams are made of. “Punjab Blues went on a giant-killing spree. We reached the semi-finals against the Punjab Greens, the second string. It was my day under the bar. The opponents couldn’t score off 12 penalty corners and several other chances. Punjab Blues won 1-0. In the final, Sindh were outclassed 6-0.

“The chief guest, [MNA] Syeda Nafisa Shah announced a special prize of 5,000 rupees for me. I came into prominence and my family was also convinced that their boy’s future was in hockey,” he smiles.

The first selection for the national juniors happened for Faizan in 2023. “I debuted for Pakistan in the Junior Asia Cup in Oman. I played all the matches till the semi-final, which we won but my performance wasn’t considered satisfactory. I sat on the bench in the final, which Pakistan lost.

“For Pakistan Juniors’ next assignment, the Sultan of Johor Cup in Malaysia surprisingly saw three goalkeepers, including myself, getting picked. I was at the bottom of the pecking order, not picked for any match.”

But the disappointment was somewhat compensated. “I was called for the national team’s camp in January 2024 for the Olympic qualifiers for the first time. I also attended the next national camp for the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup.”

In 2023, Customs re-raised its hockey team after a gap of more than 11 years and Faizan is now playing for them in the domestic circuit. “In their re-appearance in the nationals [2023], Customs finished third. I was also a proud member of the Customs team which won the national juniors this October.”

Learning is a continuous process for Faizan. “I design my training regimen and learn from videos of the world’s top custodians — Pirmin Blaak [Holland], Vincent Vanasch [Belgium] and Sreejesh [India] — all winners of the FIH Goalkeeper of the Year award.”

At the 2024 Junior Asia Cup, Faizan was thrilled to meet his idol Sreejesh, where the recently retired legend was there as the head coach of the Indian junior team. “I felt proud when he praised my performance.”

Faizan should be debuting for the national side soon. His work ethic and urge to improve would make him a real asset for the Pakistan team.

The writer is a freelance sports journalist based in Lahore and can be reached at ijaz62@hotmail.com

Published in Dawn, EOS, December 15th, 2024