10 January,2024 12:15 PM IST | Mumbai | Ashwin Ferro
India hockey goalkeeper Krishan Pathak with his Arjuna Award in New Delhi on Tuesday. Pic: Instagram
India hockey goalkeeper Krishan Pathak, who received the Arjuna Award from President of India Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on Tuesday, was nervous the night before the big function.
"It's such a prestigious award and in such a significant location [Rashtrapati Bhavan] and from the President of India, so obviously there was nervousness," Pathak, 26, told mid-day.com.
According to Pathak, the feeling was similar to what one goes through in the lead up to a big match on a big stage. And interestingly, the skillful custodian also dealt with the situation just as he deals with tough international matches - by speaking to senior teammates and watching numerous videos of the event.
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"Many of our senior players have received the Arjuna Award before so I spoke to them to understand what I need to do and how I need to behave. I also watched qjuite a few YouTube videos of previous national award functions to understand the procedure better. Also, we had a proper rehearsal before the actual event, so that helped a lot," added Pathak, who first rose to fame after a stellar performance under the bar in India's 2016 Junior World Cup win at Lucknow. Since then, he has ably shared goalkeeping responsibilities with veteran goalkeeper PR Sreejesh, who has always spoken highly of the youngster's talent and ability.
