CHENNAI: India's goalkeeper Krishan Pathak has watched plenty of Hockey from the sidelines, especially in the Olympics. However, he has no regrets about just watching because he got the front seat to learn from one of the best goalkeepers the game has ever seen, PR Sreejesh. Pathak witnessed India win two back-to-back bronze medals in the Olympics as one of the reserve players, now, with the Asian Champions Trophy starting soon, the 27-year-old has the opportunity to implement everything he learned from his great predecessor.
"They were all playing for Sree bhai, knowing this was his last Olympics for India," Pathak told TNIE. "We wanted to farewell him with a medal, so the medal was another celebration. I know he was always the senior player for me, but I do share a special bond with him. When I met or talked with him, I never felt like a junior player. He was the one who would explain everything in his way whether we had done something well or even made mistakes. Whenever he put his gear on for the country he gave his 100% best and I want to carry the same thing forward with other goalkeepers. Whether it is a practice session or any match. I have learned to value time off the field and appreciate his sense of discipline," Pathak reminisced.
Since his debut in 2018, Pathak has donned his goalkeeping kit more than 100 times. With the retirement of Sreejesh, he does have big shoes to fill, but all these years have prepared him to be ready whenever he is needed. He did not get many opportunities to start with and that has not affected the enthusiasm to take up the bigger role.
"I believe, my journey in hockey has been exceptional. When you share a field with a senior player like Sree Bhai, it ends up being a proud moment for you as a player. I had been watching the senior team for years before I made my debut. Not many have shared the goalkeeping duties for half the duration of the match with him. So I always keep that in mind. I often think that I must have some amount of talent and ability in me to share those duties alongside him. I did not get many chances in the senior team when I started in 2018, but my attitude has always been that even if I get five minutes, I want to make the most of my chances. I got to learn from the best in the business, I want to implement it now in my game," Pathak mentioned.
Now, with the ACT in China approaching faster, India aims to defend the title they won in Chennai last year. This will be the first big tournament for this group after Sreejesh's retirement and in the new Olympics cycle. Under coach Craig Fulton, the team has transformed itself and a new chapter is about to begin with Pathak as the main goalkeeper. "The message from Coach Fulton is clear that we are going to defend our title and our mindset is that. I remember after the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, we went to the Asian Champions Trophy in Bangladesh and we finished third there. It was a lesson for us then so now we are prepared to defend our title in China."
Apart from taking up new responsibilities on the field, Pathak had to step up in his personal life as a new parent. Six months since the birth of his son, Jayden, have passed in a hurry, but it has given him a new perspective to look at his game. "I am a new parent who is learning so many things on the go. It has been six months since we welcomed our son Jayden. The biggest thing I have learned is that now I have a responsibility on and off the field. When I was by myself, that sense of responsibility was not there, but now I have two more people around me. My son doesn't understand what his father does, but the happiness in the eyes of family members gives you another level of happiness."
With the new responsibilities on and off the field, Pathak is gearing up for the ACT. After being a main goalkeeper in waiting for years, his time to implement his learning is now and the Asian Champions Trophy would be the time to do exactly that.