The tall lad, hailing from a middle-class family from Varanasi, has a come a long way since the first time he played hockey, as a forward. (Source: PTI)

Abhinav Pandey was worried for only two minutes during the intense Sultan of Johor Cup final against Great Britain in Malaysia. That moment came when he was shown the green card and Subodh Tirkey, the reserve goalkeeper, was rushed to the ground.

“I was hit on the shoulder and asked for a timeout but the referee thought I was wasting time. Subodh is a good goalie but had not played for a single minute in the tournament. The score was 1-1. I was worried,” reveals Pandey.

Tirkey was not tested much and Pandey returned to the field after two minutes of suspension time. India held their nerves and Harampreet Singh, the top scorer of the tournament, struck his ninth goal just 40 seconds before the hooter to give India a 2-1 win and the title.

Apart from those two suspension minutes, Pandey was never worried. Not even before the tournament and not even when he first held a hockey stick.

The tall lad, hailing from a middle-class family from Varanasi, has a come a long way since the first time he played hockey, as a forward.

“One of my friend and a senior at school took me to play hockey. In school I loved scoring goals. I wanted to be a forward and I was a good player. Probably one of the best in my school,” says Pandey.

Ask him about how the transformation happened from a forward to a goalkeeper, he remembers his coach at Hockey Hostel in Lucknow RK Sharma.

“In 2007 I got admission in Hockey Hostel and our coach RK Sharma asked me to turn a goalkeeper. I was very tall so he said you can be very successful as a GK,” recalls Pandey.

He used his height to great effect and defied teams like Australia, New Zealand and Great Britain from scoring at rate India did. Though he had a clean sheet only against Pakistan, he made sure other teams did not score big against India. His defence made sure that none of the teams could score more than two goals in any of the matches.

After years of practice, he has been able to make it to the U-21 team but it has not been easy for Pandey and his family.

2007 was surely his breakthrough year. Apart from the school national he played, he was also selected for the UP junior national team. But, surprisingly, 2007 is the year he never wants to remember.

The loss of his father due to a brain tumor jolted him and his family. As the eldest son, he had to take the responsibility of his mother and brother.

“I thought of working because we had no money. With my brother studying, we needed money. I didn’t know what to do. My mother asked me to concentrate on hockey. We rented our Varanasi home and that is how we lived.

“I thought I should leave the game. How will my family sustain? How will my mother carry on the household? Questions like these just came in my mind one after another. It was the biggest loss,” says Pandey.

Pandey has played four senior nationals for UP and joined Railways in March this year. Though his team could barely make it to the knockout stages of the nationals, he has earned the praise for his goalkeeping skills from various coaches and senior players.

After the recent high, the youngster wants to continue the good work and win more medals for his country.

“It’s every player’s dream to play for India and I am no exception. I want to make my country proud,” says Pandey.

Pandey, who will turn 20 in December, will not be able to play in the Junior World Cup scheduled in 2016 but expresses his desire to break into the senior squad.

“I looking forward to play good in our (U-21 team) Test tour to Australia in December. I want to strengthen my chance for a spot in senior team,” says Pandey.

From scoring goals for his school team to stopping goals for the Indian team, Pandey has surely come a long way.

“Sreejesh bhai ne Asian Games mein jo kiya, uske baad to forward bhi goalkeeper banna chahenge (After what Sreejesh did in Asian Games, all the forwards want to become a goalkeeper.),” Pandey, unlike his self, lets out a loud laugh.