We won’t disappoint home fans: Chetri

In a deviation from the norm, the Indian hockey team will field only one custodian in the team for the Commonwealth Games. But for those who know Bharat Chetri, it didn’t come as a surprise when he was selected as the lone goal-keeper for the CWG.

Chetri has learnt it the hard way as he had been dropped from the team on numerous occasions and has even lost track of it.

There is a different kind of pressure on the lone goalkeeper but the Karnataka lad says that if the Indian team can accommodate one more player by sticking to the one goalkeeper theory, he is more than willing to take up the responsibility.

“It is true that there is more responsibility on me. But if the team can have one more extra striker and will help the team, then I am not at all bothered by it,” said Chetri.

Currently training with the Indian team at the Balewadi Sports Complex, Pune, the Canara Bank employee is settling for nothing less than a gold medal at the CWG. “I am targetting gold. We are playing in front our home crowd and I would not like to disappoint them,” he added.

But was he expecting to be named in the squad as the lone goalkeeper? “I was confident that I would make it to the team for the Commonwealth Games. I had played well during the European tour, but never thought that I would be the lone goalkeeper in the team.”

He also felt that the team was shaping well for the quadrennial event. “The boys have been practicing hard and most importantly everyone is enjoying it. One can enjoy practice only when he is motivated. Everyone in our support staff along with our coaches has been working hard to win a medal,” said the 28-year-old.

He also adds that he was rarely perturbed when he was constantly dropped from the Indian squad. “Whenever I was dropped I have always worked hard. I always enjoyed playing whether it was international or state matches or playing for my Bank. It is not important whether Chetri plays for India or not, but my only hope is that India should always win,” he said candidly.