Club and state Fernandes joined the Tata Sports Club (TOMCO), where he became a star player. With Tata's, he won the Beighton Cup four times in a row and the Aga Khan Trophy three times in succession. He also represented
Bombay in the national championships for eight years.
International Fernandes made his international debut in 1947 with the
Indian Hockey Federation team during a tour of
South India and
Ceylon. In 1948, he was part of the Indian team that won the Olympic gold medal in London, marking the first gold for the newly independent nation. In 1951, he played in a match against
Japan.
Playing style Fernandes played as a "speedy outside left". The distinguished sports critic A. F. S. Talyarkhan described him as a player of "absolute class" who possessed "superb stick control". Talyarkhan noted Fernandes's ability to run down the field at top speed and maneuver around the ball to avoid the "tame reverse-flick," often delivering hard, penetrating drives across the opponent's goalmouth. His teammate, goalkeeper
Leo Pinto, considered Fernandes a "charm"; Pinto recalled that whenever Fernandes helped him tie his pads before a game, the team usually did not concede any goals. ==Personal life==