Within the pleased household picture, he isn’t within the centre of the body. You’ll be able to see him within the backside nook, sitting second from proper. He flashes an enormous, hearty smile. However in contrast to others, there isn’t a medal round his neck.
The picture was taken on the rostrum of the Paris Olympics. But it surely may as effectively have been the Tokyo Video games.
It have to be robust being Krishan Pathak. The one participant to be with the hockey squad for the final two Olympics, as a reserve, and never obtain a winner’s medal at each.
Now’s his time, Pathak is aware of.
On the eve of the Paris Olympics, the Worldwide Hockey Federation shared a photograph of the 27-year outdated Pathak and PR Sreejesh — an entire brothers-in-arms vibe — with a caption: The long run and the legend.
That one body captured two uncommon happenings in Indian hockey. Sreejesh, the custodian of India’s desires for greater than a decade, had introduced the Paris Video games could be his final dance. Indian hockey gamers don’t say they’ll dangle the boots — they simply fade away into twilight. Sardar Singh was a uncommon breed who began the pattern of formally asserting retirement. But it surely was unparalleled for a participant to do it earlier than a event.
It’s equally uncommon to have a succession plan in place. Sreejesh’s is likely to be ultra-large boots to fill. However in Pathak, a veteran of 125 video games, India have a prepared alternative, a worthy successor.
“Oh, he’s undoubtedly keen. 100 per cent,” says Dennis van de Pol, a Dutch goalkeeping knowledgeable who works intently with the Indians. “Sure, they’re huge footwear to fill. However I additionally know that Pathak can do this. And it might probably solely be higher as he grows in confidence.”
Subsequent month’s Asian Champions Trophy may very well be the primary time Pathak enters a event because the first-choice goalkeeper. One among Suraj Karkera and Mohit HS — the 2 keepers who had been within the core probables for the continental competitors — could be Pathak’s backup.
‘Equals’
Sreejesh’s function within the revival of Indian hockey is profound. With out him, it will have been subsequent to not possible for India to win the 2014 Asian Video games – their first since 1998 – that triggered a momentum shift resulting in the 2 Olympics bronze medals, which might be robust to think about with out Sreejesh’s match-defining interventions.
He was in contrast to typical Asian goalkeepers who, in response to Van de Pol, ‘tend to only keep there (within the purpose), drop down and hopefully save the photographs.’ Sreejesh charged out, was aggressive from the get-go and doubled up as an on-field coach, barking directions to the gamers in entrance of him and organising the defence.
Sreejesh’s is likely to be ultra-large boots to fill. However in Pathak, a veteran of 125 video games, India have a prepared alternative, a worthy successor. (Dennis van de Pol Instagram)
Pathak is a polar reverse in nature. If Sreejesh talked continuous, Pathak’s voice can barely be heard on the sphere. If Sreejesh preferred partaking in one-on-one duels with the attacker, Pathak stays in management and doesn’t depart the road so often. If Sreejesh made himself huge within the purpose, Pathak deceives the attackers along with his comparatively small body.
“Pathak is aware of he’s actually highly effective, and perhaps his opponents suppose, ‘hey, you’re a bit of bit smaller than the typical goalkeeper (so) we will beat you within the corners’,” Van de Pol says. “However since he’s so highly effective, he can nonetheless cowl the corners simply.”
In Tokyo, Pathak was aware of the hole between him and Sreejesh, who mentored the goalkeeper 9 years youthful than him through the 2016 Junior World Cup. Pathak used the Tokyo expertise and the teachings learnt by enjoying together with Sreejesh to slim the hole to the extent that there remained little or no to decide on between the 2.
Former coach Graham Reid started giving each the goalkeepers equal quantity of enjoying time and his successor Craig Fulton continued the philosophy. “They cut up the match instances 50-50 not as a result of we wished to offer the opposite some extra expertise… but additionally as a result of we thought they’re fairly equal,” Van de Pol says. “It didn’t matter to us who we put within the purpose, who began the primary quarter or ended the sport as a result of we thought they had been equals. Simply months earlier than the Olympics, Sree actually simply stepped up a bit.”
Pathak may not have a medal to indicate however the expertise of being at two Olympics, Van de Pol provides, will probably be ‘immense’; ‘similar to how Sreejesh benefited from being at London’ because the back-up to then captain Bharat Chetri.
“Sure, it’s one other 4 years, however there are such a lot of huge tournaments earlier than that that he can attend. So, he’ll solely develop as a result of I do know for certain that if he will get extra enjoying time now, he’ll solely be higher and higher.”
Because the second selection after Pathak, India have the choice of selecting 28-year outdated Suraj Karkera, who has made 43 worldwide appearances, and Mohit, a promising 19-year outdated who’s been part of the senior set-up however has but to make his debut. Pawan, sparingly used within the final cycle, can also be knocking on the door.
“When Sreejesh had a while off throughout his damage, or when Pathak received married, had children, then it was principally Suraj or Pawan who stepped in they usually did superb,” Van de Pol says. “They’re additionally each fully totally different goalkeepers. Suraj is extra like Pathak; extra relaxed, extra on the road. Pawan is like Sreejesh, a variety of power, all the time speaking. Mohit, from the under-21s, is extra like Pathak and Suraj.”
As India take a look at life after Sreejesh, it’ll be as much as these gamers to make sure the crew doesn’t sorely miss the goalkeeping stalwart. And because the chief of this pack, and primarily based on the succession plan laid out, they’ll flip to Pathak, who will hope to maneuver from the nook of the body to the entrance and centre.