'Our emotional bond within the team is what makes our squad so great,' says India goalkeeper Krishan B Pathak

Bengaluru, Oct 21: The Indian Men's Hockey Team goalkeeper Krishan B Pathak, currently preparing for the FIH Hockey Pro League, spoke about his journey in the Senior Indian Men's Hockey team and the adversities he had to overcome when he appeared on Hockey Te Charcha ­- a podcast series initiated by Hockey India.

When asked about his early days in the sport, Krishan talked about an arduous journey into national hockey setup, as he explained, "I started playing hockey looking at my friend. I had an interest in sports and he encouraged me to play hockey with him, that's how I started playing."

"I started playing for the Rail Coach Factory Kapurthala team, where my uncle stayed. Then I got selected to play in the Surjit Singh Academy in Punjab, where I honed my skills for 6 years. After which, I got my chance to represent Punjab at the Hockey India National Championships and we won the Gold Medal in Chennai. Soon after I got selected to play for the Junior national team, " said the 25-year-old.

The goalkeeper who made his debut for the Indian Men's Hockey team at the 4 Nations Invitational Tournament 2018 in New Zealand, went on to talk about the adversities he faced early on in his hockey journey, as he lost his parents at a very young age. Krishan lost his mother when he was only 12. This was when he had just joined the Surjit Singh Academy in Punjab.

He lost his father a few years later, just before he travelled with the Indian Junior Men's Hockey squad to England back in 2016 for a tour and recalled that time in his life with sorrow as he said, "Even now, particularly on the days when the team has done well and we have 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 am 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 up."

He credits this togetherness of the current Indian Men' Hockey squad for their achievements, "The team is like my family. It has been since my junior days. They make sure no one is drowning in despair so we are always doing something together."

"After the pandemic we have become even closer and got attached to each other emotionally. We discuss all situations openly; I think that is what makes our team so great. It is the emotional bond we have with each other and the understanding we offer to each other," he said.

The 25-year-old, who has grown exponentially as a keeper since his debut in 2018 credits the influence for Sreejesh for making him a better player as he said, "To play alongside someone as iconic as Sreejesh, training with him every day is a pleasure. Watching him perform helps me raise my own standards. He is also always constantly helping me with my technique and how to deal with pressure situations, so it helps me become a better player. I do feel the pressure to perform at the same high standard as him sometimes but I take that very positively and use it as motivation."

He concluded by talking about the upcoming FIH Odisha Hockey Men's World Cup 2023 Bhubaneswar - Rourkela, "We really want to win a medal at this upcoming World Cup, we have four FIH Hockey Pro League matches before the World Cup, which we will be using to make sure all the players are match ready. We want to avoid a repeat of 2018 at all costs. We have been giving our all in the practice sessions and doing well in the FIH Hockey Pro League matches will give us the right confidence."

Krishan signed-off by saying, "The home crowd will also give us so much energy in Odisha, we will be taking all the positive support we can get from the crowd. Odisha always has a great turnout so I can't wait for the tournament to begin."

Source: Hockey India