Goalkeepers Krishan Pathak and Suraj Karkera under the scanner with India conceding as many as eight goals in five matches at Asia Cup so far
India goalkeeper Krishan Pathak concedes a goal against Korea in Rajgir, Bihar, recently. PICS/Hockey India
For Indian hockey, the retirement of PR Sreejesh has been as significant as winning an Olympic medal after 41 years. And being one of the best goalkeepers the game has seen, the legacy that Sreejesh leaves behind sets the bar on which those after him will be judged.
It’s been a year since Sreejesh retired after the Paris Olympics, which made Krishan Bahadur Pathak as India’s senior goalkeeper with Suraj Karkera becoming his deputy. But the debacle in the European leg of the Pro League earlier this year, where India lost seven out of eight matches, has tightened the scrutiny on India’s goalkeeping.
To add to this, at the ongoing Asia Cup in Rajgir, India’s goalkeeping has come under the spotlight again. To the dismay of many, senior custodian Pathak hasn’t lived up to expectations in the five matches India have played so far here, and Karkera’s superior show reflects, both on the field and in numbers.
Is Pathak off-colour?
Of the eight goals India have conceded so far, seven were let in when Pathak was on the pitch. But only based on this, it won’t be right to pass a judgment on the 2016 Junior World Cup-winner, who has 152 caps. Also, this is not to compare and conclude that one is better than the other. But with the World Cup and Asian Games next year, the Indian team needs reliability that it used to associate with Sreejesh as the last line of defence.
Goalkeepers Krishan Pathak (left) and Suraj Karkera
To the naked eye, the taller Karkera has height advantage when compared to Pathak, who relies more on his reflexes. At times, it is observed that Pathak is mindful of not being tall enough and tries to negate it by coming forward, banking on his hand-eye coordination.
Former India goalkeeper Romeo James says it takes time to fill shoes of legends. “It has never been easy to find replacements for greats like Mohammad Shahid, Ajit Pal Singh, Dhanraj Pillay ever since we have been trying to return to the Olympic podium,” James tells mid-day.
With Pathak having played as Sreejesh’s understudy for six-seven years, and Karkera just 70 caps old despite being around for almost the same time as Pathak, it will be harsh to take a call on him, especially when there’s not much to fall back on. The next in line is 24-year-old Pawan, who has already made his international debut and has played seven matches so far.
Coach’s call
“It’s always the coach’s call when it comes to decisions like these [replacing goalkeepers]. Also, it has to be considered if there is enough quality on the bench to even think on those lines,” said James. With two big events in the next 12 months, it’ll be tricky to blood a youngster and expect him to perform instantly.
It’s possibly a combination of all the above factors that the Indian think-tank continues to believe in Pathak and Karkera. And hopefully, it’s just a matter of time before both deliver.
India women thrash Thailand 11-0
Hangzhou (China): Udita Duhan and Beauty Dung Dung scored a brace each as India began their campaign in the women’s Asia Cup hockey tournament with a 11-0 thrashing of Thailand here on Friday. Udita scored in the 30th and 52nd minutes from penalty corners while Dung Dung struck in the 45th and 54th minutes.
India’s other goal-scorers were Mumtaz Khan (7th minute), Sangita Kumari (10th), Navneet Kaur (16th), Lalremsiami (18th), Thoudam Suman Devi (49th), Sharmila Devi (57th) and Rutaja Dadaso Pisal (60th).
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