The 29-year-old goalkeeper returns to the national squad after more than nine months on the sidelines, with the added motivation of representing India on home soil in Punjab for the first time.
After spending more than nine months away from international action, Indian goalkeeper Krishan Bahadur Pathak is ready to make his comeback count at the Asian Champions Trophy Punjab 2026. The 29-year-old, who continued to hone his skills with India’s development team in Bengaluru, is determined to seize the opportunity as he prepares to represent the country in his home state of Punjab for the first time.
While the Indian men’s hockey team was making history at the Asian Games in Japan, Pathak was working tirelessly behind the scenes to earn his place back in the national squad. His efforts have now paid off, with the experienced custodian named in India’s 18-member squad for the tournament, scheduled to take place from October 27 to November 5 in Jalandhar and Mohali.
Pathak replaces Mohith HS in the squad, marking his return to the national team after his last international appearance during India’s tour of South Africa in December 2025.
For Pathak, the comeback carries special significance. The league-stage matches in Jalandhar will be played at the Olympian Surjit Singh Hockey Stadium, the home ground of Surjit Hockey Academy, where he spent seven formative years developing his game.
“What makes the occasion even bigger for me and others from the Surjit Hockey Academy is that we will be playing at the same ground where we learned the sport for seven years. I don’t think there can be anything bigger than that. I would like to thank the Punjab government and Hockey India for giving us this opportunity,” Pathak said.
With 156 international caps to his name, Pathak brings considerable experience to the Indian goalkeeping unit. He previously served as the understudy to legendary goalkeeper PR Sreejesh, who retired after the Paris 2024 Olympics. Now, Pathak is eager to translate that experience into strong performances as he returns to the international stage.
During his time with the development team in Bengaluru, the goalkeeper focused on addressing areas identified by the coaching staff for improvement. He also travelled with the Indian team to the FIH Hockey World Cup in the Netherlands and Belgium as a non-playing member before the Asian Games.
“Whatever the coach told me in terms of improvement, I was working on that while here in Bengaluru with the development team. I believe I have done that and am now focused on this opportunity at the Hero Asian Champions Trophy,” he said.
Pathak revealed that his preparations included additional goalkeeping sessions alongside regular team training and competitive matches against the Karnataka senior national team in Bengaluru.
“We (the development team) played matches against the Karnataka senior national team in Bengaluru. But besides the matches and team training, we did extra goalkeeping sessions so that I keep working on the things that I was told to improve upon,” he added.
India will begin their campaign against Bangladesh on October 27, followed by matches against China on October 29, Japan on October 30, Malaysia on November 1 and South Korea on November 2.
All league-stage matches will be played in Jalandhar from October 27 to November 2, while Mohali will host the semi-finals and medal matches on November 4 and 5.
India enter the tournament as its most successful team, having won five titles in 2011, 2016, 2018 (joint winners), 2023 and 2024. With Pathak back in the fold, the experienced goalkeeper will be keen to make his return memorable and contribute to India’s pursuit of another continental crown.
