Dharamvir, Sreejest & Kothajit relive their memories of winning hockey gold at Incheon Asian Games
"What would it be like if I miss this penalty?"
"It's now or never. I can either be a hero after this or will always be treated as a villain."
"Oh man, it was your goal which won us this gold medal."
Dharamvir Singh, PR Sreejesh and Khadangbam Kothajit, the three heroes of the famous Asian Games final win over opponents Pakistan in Incheon earlier this month, had their fears during the penalty shootout. During those tense 60 minutes at the Seonhak Hockey Stadium, fear of backlash, more than scoring or saving those goals, troubled the players.
The three heroes of that famous victory spoke to dna about what was going on in their minds on October 2 as the Indian team won its Asian Games gold after a wait of 16 years.
"I was under tremendous pressure as I was about to take that final penalty stroke," said Dharamvir, adding: "I looked in the eyes of Pakistani goalkeeper and asked a question to myself — 'What will happen to my team if we fail to win the gold? The nation wouldn't forgive me or my team for any blunder at this point. How can we show our face to public after losing to Pakistan twice in a single tournament? We would be ridiculed for missing out on a chance to book an Olympic berth?"
However, one man who had the most responsibility was goalie Sreejesh. "There are only two options before a goalkeeper — either become a hero or spend rest of your life as zero. I faced the wrath of hockey lovers after my below-par show at the London Olympics, but now I have become a hero. Those two saves against Pakistan have made me a star," said Sreejesh.
The Indian goalkeeper was cool-headed during those tense moments and didn't allow any Pakistan player to go past him easily. "I wasn't under any kind of pressure. I kept my calm and read the opponent's mind well. I knew if I save the penalties, we will not only win the gold, but also qualify for Olympics."
The most important strike by any Indian player on that day was that of Kothajit, whose equaliser resulted in keeping India afloat. "My equaliser has proved to be a life-changing goal for me. I would call it the best goal of my life since it came in the Asian Games final, and that too, against Pakistan. I was hailed as a hero. It was a crucial strike," said the shy defender on Wednesday.
There was a sea of emotions inside Dharmvir's mind as he took that successful stroke. "I kept telling myself that come what may, I have to score. I knew that this one win will free us from the mental pressure of qualifying for the Rio Games and we can concentrate on building the team for the next two years, rather than worrying about the qualifications," said Dharamvir with a smile.
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