Playing ACT on Poligras turf will help at Paris Olympics: Krishan Bahadur Pathak

Indian menrsquos hockey team goalkeeper Krishan Bahadur Pathak feels playing in the Asian Champions Trophy is not only advantageous in preparing for Asian Games but it will also benefit teams at Paris Olympics as the same Poligras turf will be used thereAsked about the new turf being laid at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium here on which the ACT is being played he said that the Indian team will have to get used to playing on the surface fast as the same turf would also be used in Paris next summerIts a really good turf thanks to the Tamil Nadu government for giving us the benefit of the turf beforehand that will be used during the OlympicsSince its a new one it feels kind of heavy But we will be getting used to it and gradually become more comfortable Its all about how fast we get used to it Pathak told PTIPoligras Paris GT zero is described as a carbon zero hockey turf made from 80 percent biobased material sugarcaneIts water absorbent properties mean lesser water than before needs to be used in its upkeepWhen asked about playing in ACT before the Asian Games he said Whatever tournament I have played till date all have been special for me Every tournaments preparation is different be it the ProLeague or the ACT Even preparations for the Asian Games would be differentSo this competition is highly important to us and we would be able to build confidence from hereThe teams that would be participating in Hangzhou are the ones featuring in the ACT There would be a couple of extra teams probably Sri Lanka and Hong KongSo overall it would only benefit us from this tournament as to how can we prepare against them once we head to ChinaAlso Read Asian Champions Trophy India send Pakistan packingThe 26yearold from Kapurthala Punjab has been consistent in playing for IndiaHe completed his 100 international appearances for the side during the Asian Champions TrophyPathak said that despite his being such a long journey he keeps learning new things every dayWe keep learning all the time Since I arrived from the U18 team I have been learning a lot especially about leadership how to guide the side from the back and how to work with the defenceWe regularly keep asking the seniors And even if we dont ask we learn a lot by just looking at things and experiencing them So such things help us a lot in building our career he addedPathak had taken up the sport at the age of 12 upon his fathers insistence while he lost his mother at the same ageAfter losing his father in 2016 he was selected for the FIH Junior World Cup the same year followed by the India A team during the Australian Hockey League 2017 before making his senior debut in 2018Pathak was asked about the most challenging team he has faced in his career Although he named a couple he said that nowadays every team is at the same levelThere have been a lot of them If you consider Europe the Netherlands is the one Australia is also another one But most of the teams are at the same level currentlyBeing a goalkeeper in hockey is no easy task And when asked what is the biggest challenge while manning the post Pathak said that its about dealing with the past learning from it and moving alongI guess its about how you work along with your past Sometimes things dont go your way The challenge is how you keep progressing away from it thats really importantAfter the ACT the Indian menrsquos hockey team will feature in the Asian Games where a gold medal guarantees a berth at the Paris OlympicsOur first focus is to qualify for the Paris Olympics through the Asian Games Only after we have secured it we will dream or think about playing at the grandest stageWith PTI inputs