"Sreejesh has just upgraded the benchmark for us" - Krishan Pathak thriving in role of senior goalkeeper at Asian Champions Trophy [Exclusive]
Krishan Pathak has seamlessly eased into his role as the senior goalkeeper of the Indian men's hockey team at the Asian Champions Trophy following a spectacular farewell performance by PR Sreejesh at the Paris Olympics.
Krishan, who played over a hundred matches alongside Sreejesh since 2018, acknowledged that it would be a whole new experience, with the veteran goalkeeper no longer available to advise him on the pitch.
The 27-year-old, who traveled to Paris as an alternate athlete, told Sportskeeda during an exclusive interaction that Sreejesh upgraded the benchmark for Indian goalkeepers with his stellar show at the Olympics.
"I have been playing alongside Sreejesh since 2018 but I have watched his goalkeeping while I was a junior as well. He has performed extremely well in several tournaments but this one was special. He had told us ahead of the Olympics that Paris 2024 would be his last tournament," Krishan revealed.
"Sreejesh had set the benchmark for Indian goalkeepers even earlier but following his performance at the Olympics he just upgraded the benchmark for us," he added.
In 2018, Krishan and Suraj Karkera performed goalkeeping duties for the Indians when Sreejesh was recovering after surgery. Back then, the stalwart was absent for a short period but following retirement, he will no longer be present to share his expertise on the pitch.
With Sreejesh not available to offer advice, Krishan Pathak stressed that he would need to trust his own instincts.
"When Sreejesh was around we used to ask him for advice and he used to tell us how to correct mistakes which we made on the pitch. That will no longer be possible and we need to trust our own instincts," he declared.
Krishan Pathak also highlighted Sreejesh's unfailing commitment and hunger until the very end of his career after having played for two decades.
"Despite being one of the most senior players in the team he never took it easy. I have never seen him attend a practice session where he gave it anything less than a hundred per cent," Krishan Pathak asserted.
"Also, despite playing for so many years, there was never a lack of hunger or lack of commitment," he disclosed.
"India's penalty corner defense at the Olympics was one of the best in the competition" - Krishan Pathak
Krishan Pathak appears to be thriving in his new role as the senior goalkeeper in the Asian Champions Trophy while pulling off some incredible saves to help India defeat Pakistan 2-1 in their last pool game.
Suraj Karkera also displayed his grit while stopping a few powerful drag-flicks in the game against South Korea as the Indian think-tank chose to change goalkeepers after every quarter in Hulunbuir.
Krishan opined that having two goalkeepers play in a match helps build a bond although the coach makes decisions based on the need of the hour.
At the FIH Pro League ahead of the Olympics, coach Craig Fulton opted to change goalkeepers once in each half as opposed to every quarter in some matches while asking Sreejesh to guard the goal for the entire match at times.
"I have played over a hundred matches with Sreejesh and it feels comforting to have a senior goalkeeper play alongside as we change each quarter. It also helps build a bond. That said, it depends on how the coach wants us to play," Krishan explained.
"For example, in the Pro League, we changed goalkeepers once in each half and not every quarter in order to prepare for the Olympics," he pointed out.
Krishan Pathak believes that the Indian penalty corner defense performed particularly well at the Olympics in sync with the coach's philosophy of "defend to counter to win."
"I feel the team performed really well in Paris, especially in terms of our penalty corner defense which was one of the best in the competition," said Krishan, who followed the action closely. "From the first rusher to the post-man everyone did their job as was required."
"Our coach's mantra of 'defend to counter to win' helped us at the Olympics since we adopted the strategy as a mindset. We could have done better with regard to not picking up cards at crucial moments but on the whole, it was a great performance by the team," he added.
Krishan Pathak also commended Shivendra Singh and goalkeeping expert from the Netherlands, Dennis van de Pol, for helping him build on his skills.
"We have worked a lot on our man-to-man defence skills for the Asian Champions Trophy. Shivendra paaji (Shivendra Singh) has helped us build on our skills as a goalkeeper. We have also benefited from the inputs provided by goalkeeping coach Dennis van de Pol whenever he works with us," Krishan Pathak stated.
The Indians came through the pool phase of the Asian Champions Trophy unbeaten and will play the final against China on September 17.