Pathak, Karkera relish responsibility and competition to build on Sreejesh’s legacy

The Paris Olympics marked a transition for the Indian hockey team under the goalkeeper’s bar.

- Sandip Sikdar

The inspirational PR Sreejesh retired after clinching bronze, his second successive Olympic medal. His understudy Krishan Bahadur Pathak took charge as the team’s primary goalkeeper, and after spending seven years on the bench, Suraj Karkera has finally got his due as the India No.2.

Of the same age, Pathak and Karkera learned the finer points of goalkeeping from their guru Sreejesh. But both are now looking for success and recognition by charting their own paths.

Since his debut in 2018, Pathak has shared every laurel with Sreejesh, except the most important one - the Olympics. Since only 16 players are allowed in an Olympic hockey squad, unlike 18 for other tournaments, only one goalkeeper was allowed at both Tokyo 2021 and Paris 2024. Pathak went to both Games as a standby, where he was left to watch his teammates return with a medal around their neck.