Coming out of Sreejesh's shadows, Chikte hopes to raise the bar

For two long years in the senior national camp, young Akash Chikte was too used to being an understudy to PR Sreejesh, Indian hockey's long-time custodian.

Chikte would be called upon to guard the goalpost ever so rarely in a few matches sprinkled here and there, either when India captain Sreejesh would feel the need to rest or was injured. Suddenly, though, the understudy's studying time seems over.

The 24-year-old, who made his international debut last year, will be India's first-choice goalkeeper in two full tournaments: the 3 Nations Tournament in Germany and Hockey World League Semi-Final in London.

Sreejesh, who has been the crux of the team and the guardian of the bar for quite a few years now, won't take part in the both the events due to a knee injury he sustained during the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup earlier this year.

A Sreejesh-sans team is something Indian hockey was fearing, but one that Chikte was waiting.

“I thought I wasn't up to the mark, and that is why I was being dropped and sidelined,” Chikte said from Bengaluru on Saturday before the team departed for the two tourneys. “I wasn't considered for two-three big tournaments last year, like the Rio Olympics and the World League Finals. So, I assumed something was missing in me. "

"But deep down, I had the belief in me that the moment my time comes and I get a chance, I could prove myself with just that one shot. That shot came after the Olympics, in the Asian Champions Trophy (ACT) in October, and I proved people that even I could do well,” he added.

Prove he did, but again only because Sreejesh was injured for two games. In the last league game against Malaysia, the Pune boy made some brilliant saves to keep the score to 2-1 for India. And in final against Pakistan, Chikte held his nerve in the high-pressure game as India clinched the title with a 3-2 win.

“That was the turning point for me,” Chikte said. “I hadn't played a lot of matches before that. I was directly drafted into the senior camp two years ago, without even a lot of junior experience to fall back upon. But ever since I played those two matches where Sreejesh sat out, I feel I belong to this stage.”

So did head coach Roelant Oltmans, who told this paper after the ACT that Chikte's mature performance was the biggest takeaway looking ahead at the bigger picture of Indian hockey. It gave Oltmans the trust that this team will not fall apart without Sreejesh's service under the bar.

“I believe in one theory, and that is people trust you only once you prove yourself. The same goes with Roelant. A year or so ago, I don't think he believed I could hold on to my own at the big stage. But once he gave me a couple of matches to prove myself, he started backing me. He told me, 'I'm sending you to Australia (for two series after ACT) because I believe you can do it'. So, if someone trusts me, I will never let them down,” Chikte said.

And yet, Chikte knows once Sreejesh is back doing what he is used to, he will have to go back doing what he is used to: being the understudy.

“I don't mind being the second goalkeeper of the team. It's good for me, in fact,” Chikte said. “Sreejesh is a pool of experience, having played for so many years at the top level. Even if I just watch him play, watch his movements, watch his body language, I am getting to learn a lot just by doing that. So, even if I'm under his shadows, it is helping me gain in confidence as well as my skills,” he said.

Till then, though, the young goalie will need to fill those big boots for the next two tournaments and play his more illustrious senior's role – saving goals for India. “There will be expectations from my teammates now. But I don't feel I'm lacking anywhere now. I'm comfortable with myself, and being the first goalkeeper of India. I know I can play that role,” he said.

KNOW CHIKTE
Full name: Akash Chikte
DoB: July 24, 1992
Position: Goalkeeper
City: Pune, Maharashtra
International debut: April 2016 (Sultan Azlan Shah Cup)