When you look again at images of the Indian hockey crew on August 5, 2021, you see 19 boys grinning ear to ear, their eyes moist, holding or biting the dear bronze medal hanging from their necks.
Among so many medals, it’s simple to overlook a sure Krishan Bahadur Pathak smiling like others however with out the metallic. Of the 19 boys who travelled to the Tokyo Olympics, solely Pathak returned with out the prize as he was a standby to major goalkeeper PR Sreejesh and didn’t get to play even a single recreation on the Oi Hockey Stadium.
Unlike worldwide hockey federation (FIH) tournaments the place the squad is eighteen, Olympics permits an outfit of solely 16. Pathak, Varun Kumar and Simranjeet Singh travelled to Tokyo as standbys after FIH and International Olympic Committee (IOC) launched the alternate participant rule as a consequence of Covid-19. While Varun and Simranjeet bought video games, Pathak remained on the bench.
But the 25-year-old says it doesn’t hassle him because the crew is his household, crediting the togetherness for his or her achievements. “The crew is like my household. It has been since my junior days. They make sure that nobody is drowning in despair so we’re at all times doing one thing collectively,” says the goalkeeper, who has 80 worldwide caps beneath his belt.
“After the pandemic, we’ve turn into even nearer and bought connected to one another emotionally. We focus on all conditions overtly. That is what makes our crew so nice. It’s the emotional bond now we have with one another and the understanding we provide to one another.”
There’s one more reason why Pathak feels that additional join with the crew. The goalie misplaced his mom when he was solely 12 and his father a number of years later when he was travelling with the junior nationwide crew to England in 2016. So virtually, the hockey crew has been his household ever since.
“Even now, particularly on the days when the team does well or we’ve come back from a tour, winning laurels for the country, I feel extremely sad that my parents are not here to share my happiness. It does feel very empty at times but my teammates always ensure I’m never left to myself in the room. Somehow, they know when I am low and there is always someone in the room to lift your spirit,” mentioned Pathak, who was a part of India’s Junior World Cup profitable crew in 2016.
Second keeper
Ever since his debut in 2018, Pathak, a product of the well-known Surjit Singh Academy in Jalandhar, has at all times been Sreejesh’s understudy, the crew’s second keeper. He has executed properly to not simply have maintained his spot for the final 5 years however has additionally grown within the position, holding at bay many different keepers aspiring to take that spot.
“He has grown a lot (as a keeper). Last time I felt that Sreejesh and Krishan were definitely No 1 and 2 with quite some space in their level. But now it’s much closer because (chief coach) Graham (Reid) has given Krishan quite some matches so his confidence is much higher. He played some really important matches and played really well so that is a big confidence booster,” says well-known goalkeeping coach Dennis van de Pol.
Van de Pol, who’s a coach with Drijver Goalie Academy in addition to the Royal Dutch Hockey Association (KNHB), educated Indian keepers in a quick stint in 2019 and nearly in 2020-21 earlier than the Olympics. He returned to Bengaluru in December to coach Indian keepers forward of the all-important World Cup. Significantly, the Dutchman can even help the crew through the World Cup in Odisha. “Now, Krishan is also getting more into the leader position that Sreejesh has. He is also telling the guys what to do, something that wasn’t there last time,” mentioned van de Pol.
Ever since becoming a member of the setup in 2019, Reid has usually made Sreejesh and Pathak change each quarter throughout video games. The concept was to present the second keeper as a lot publicity as doable in order that when the time arrives, Krishan is able to face anybody. “I don’t suppose you may ever say he lacks motivation. That is the important thing for him; his professionalism. During the Pro League too, he stepped up when required and if he is required to do this through the World Cup, I’m very assured that he’ll,” mentioned the Australian.
Training, enjoying and sharing ideas with a stalwart like Sreejesh, a two-time FIH Goalkeeper of the Year, additionally helped the 25-year-old elevate his personal requirements, just lately manifested by two Player-of-the-Match awards Pathak earned throughout Pro League video games in opposition to Spain.
“I was a second goalie myself and that’s really the hard part about being a goalie – there’s just one spot. Missing an Olympic medal of course motivates you a lot that ‘I want to take that spot next time’. I’m 100% sure he wants to go for it and take that spot as quickly as possible and not wait until Sreejesh will quit. Since the last time I was there, Krishan had made the most improvements. That’s a really strong point for him and good for India to know they have a such a strong goalie behind Sreejesh,” says van de Pol.
Unlike the Olympics, Pathak will play on the World Cup – his second at residence after Bhubaneswar 2018 – and is motivated than ever to return residence with a medal. “We really want to win a medal at this World Cup. We want to avoid a repeat of 2018 at all costs (India lost to Netherlands 1-2 in quarter-finals),” concluded Pathak.
