Time for Krishan Pathak to emerge from the shadows
BHUBANESWAR: After putting on his helmet and exchanging fist-bumps with a couple of the Indian players, Krishan Pathak began the slightly long, lonely walk to position himself under the sticks. The men's hockey team wears an assured look about itself these days, there's a sense of optimism about the team and there's an identity about the Men In Blue (coach Craig Fulton's famed 'defend to win').
It's the effect of at least medalling or outright winning each of their last three major events (back-to-back Asian Champions Trophy winners in 2023 and 2024 and bronze at the Paris Games last July-August). One area of the field, though, that will face some scrutiny is the identity of the first choice custodian heading into the World Cup year in 2026. It's a very natural process within a side when a stalwart retires after some 330 international caps, numerous international awards and a cupboard full of shiny medals.
This is not to say that Pathak hasn't been groomed for the role. One of Graham Reid's legacies was to introduce rolling subs for goal-keepers. So, even though Sreejesh used to start a majority of games, Pathak used to get a fair taste of the action (it's how he has 120+ caps since making his debut for the senior side just before the pandemic). Even if the 27-year-old was actively involved in an equitable job share, the man from Kerala was the defacto No. 1 (Sreejesh travelled to Paris as the only goalkeeper, with Pathak a reserve).
Sreejesh himself had spoken about its merits. "It's always good to share the field with the second goalkeeper," he had told this daily in 2023. "When I started it was always about the first goalkeeper. The entire tournament, he would be playing and the second goalkeeper would be sitting on the bench. The chances of a goalkeeper getting injured have increased so much so make sure the second goalkeeper is getting sufficient match time... giving them enough opportunities gives them more experience. It gives them more confidence."
Now? It's time for the man from Kapurthala in Punjab to emerge from the shadows and showcase the kind of confidence Sreejesh was talking about. Fulton has also been a big fan of Reid's job share so he has continued that tradition of rotating the men under the sticks — against Germany on Tuesday, Suraj Karkera got his chance in two of the four quarters.
It comes down to the preference of the team management in that some have clearly defined starting keeper and substitute keeper. At the other end of the spectrum, sides like India have rotational custodians. The natural next question, then, may be to ask if India can take two keepers, why is it important to have a well defined No. 1? From a big picture perspective — the LA Olympics where sides are allowed only 16 players and only one keeper as part of the playing contingent — planning has to start now.
And games like one on Tuesday are what will inform Fulton &. Co about whether Pathak, or Karkera, will be the answer for the 'who after Sreejesh?' question.
Cheered on by a decently-sized crowd at the Kalinga Stadium on a school night, both keepers pulled off good saves but Pathak also had a moment to forget. He saved smartly to keep out a German shot in the first quarter but completely lost sight of where the rebound had gone. His natural response was to challenge a visiting stick but the rebound was safely tucked into an unguarded net. It was one of those 'he could have done better' moments. As the side's elder custodian, it would have rankled. The good thing, though, was that he picked himself up and produced one smart save in the third quarter.
Both Indian teams lose
These are early days in the Indian leg of the Pro League but both teams' inconsistencies shown through. After the women's team lost to Spain by the odd goal in a seven-goal thriller, the men's team, facing Germany for the first time since their last four clash in Paris, also went down. Without the services of Harmanpreet Singh and Hardik Singh (both nursing injuries), they struggled at times, especially to control the midfield. The hosts also missed the skipper's drag-flicking expertise as they passed up 10 penalty corners (to be fair, the visitors also missed a fair few set-pieces).
But it didn't bother the world champions as they outplayed the World No. 5 in all departments. After Germany scored a well-worked fourth goal, fans streamed outside the premises. By the time Fulton's wards had succumbed to one of their heaviest defeats at this Stadium, they had well and truly lost the midfield battle.
Tuesday's results
Men: England 2-2 Spain (England beat Spain 1-0 on penalties), India 1-4 Germany
Women: India 3-4 Spain
Wednesday's matches
Men: Spain vs England, India vs Germany
Women: India vs Spain
Matches from 3.00 PM IST