Goalkeeper Pathak wants to use HIL as a steppingstone for glory at Olympics, World Cup

B Shrikant

Mumbai, Dec 27 (IANS) As he gears up for the Hockey India League (HIL) starting in Rourkela on Saturday, India's international goalkeeper Krishan Pathak has one mission -- to establish himself as India's best-ever goalkeeper and represent the country in the Olympics. 

Despite being part of the Indian men's hockey team for the last 6-7 years alongside PR Sreejesh, Krishan Bahadur Pathak has one regret -- he could not make it to the last two Olympic Games, as India won successive bronze medals.

For the Olympics, the squad strength is pegged at 16, and teams invariably go with one goalkeeper. Both in the Tokyo Games in 2021 and Paris in 2024, Pathak lost out to the experienced Sreejesh and was either a stand-by or reserved goalkeeper, thus missing out on the medals.

Now that Sreejesh has hung up his boots, Pathak is the senior goalkeeper in the team, which would, in the eyes of many fans, make him an automatic option for the 2028 Olympic Games.

But Pathak does not want to rest on his preeminent position and past laurels and says there is intense competition for the goalkeeper's slot and he would have to work really hard to maintain his position in the team and play in the Olympics.

"You cannot say anything so soon that you are going to play in the Olympics, you will have to prove it. You will have to pay for it. You will have to make a place for it in the team and I feel that the competition at the Olympics is such that you will have to go there as the best, the best goalkeeper in the world. Then you can go and perform there and yes obviously as our dream is to win the gold medal in the upcoming Olympics, I feel we had come for that," Pathak told IANS in an exclusive interview.

"Personally, I will also have to work very hard for it and will have to prepare completely for it. You are not like that that you start thinking from now itself, friend? If you are determined, then it is not like that. You have to perform for it. You have to show consistency. If you have to show it in your game, then that is the thing. I think you will have to prove it in the future," he said.

Pathak is coming into the HIL following a successful 2024 in which he was honoured with the Arjuna Award and is among several players who have played in the previous edition of the Hockey India League and therefore is looking forward to the tournament on Saturday with a clash between Delhi SG Pipers and Gonasika at the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela.

Pathak said the experience of playing in HIL previously will help him gel with foreign players when he appears for Kalinga Lancers.

"It will be quite helpful. I consider myself so lucky that I played for Dabang Mumbai for two years before the break. In the 2017 season, we played the finals. Even then I did not get many chances. I played only three or four matches.

"I will be playing for the Kalinga team this season, so I have a lot of good memories of that time and a dream to keep playing in the future. Now, I got another chance, so I am very excited to play in HIL. I am part of a good team, so I think it is a very good opportunity," said Pathak.

Pathak was one of the top picks in the HIL auction, bought by Kalinga Lancers for Rs 32 lakh. Pathak is keeping his feet grounded and says he is not looking too far ahead.

"My target is that I do not want to think too far ahead. I like to take whatever time I have, that is to say, move step-by-step, one step at a time. As soon as I face the things that are coming to me, I should take them forward, I should improve myself in that. And it is not that you can jump up for things at once. I want to go step-by-step. I have to focus on the upcoming tournaments one at a time and not think about what will come in the future, the rest is not in my hands. Yes, 2024 was a very good year, no doubt. It was a very big achievement for the team as well as for me personally. Getting the Arjuna Award was a big and it is a proud moment for me and my family," he concluded.

Pathak won a gold medal in the Asian Games in Hangzhou in 2023, silver medals in the Champions Trophy (2018) and Commonwealth Games 2022, three gold medals in the Asian Champions Trophy, and gold in the Junior World Cup in 2016.

Winning medals in the Olympics and the World Cup will complete a full set of medals for India's top goalkeeper.

--IANS

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