Jammu Goalkeeper Nirdosh Sagotra on his journey & what it takes to be the best

Picture a black and white sphere whizzing across a green field heading your way at lightning speed. You have merely a few seconds to anticipate its spin, wind direction and the intention of the kicker, before lunging for it hoping to block it from the billowing net behind you.

Deter it, and you’re the star of the show, but let it pass and the delicately balanced house of cards comes tumbling down. Perhaps even costing your team a win. That is what a football goalkeeper faces in every match and that is what 25 year old Nirdosh Sagotra from Jammu chose as a career.

As someone who was always inclined towards sports, football came as a natural choice to Nirdosh after he picked up the sport on his father’s insistence. His father, Suresh Kumar (Dimple), who played as a National level goalkeeper, hoped his son would take up the same position on the field — a desire his father’s batchmate expressed to Nirdosh after seeing him play Forward.

Initially, confining himself to the goal post did not have the same allure for him as being in the thick of the action did. On many occasions he found the position to be boring. However, the tables turned when he realized that doing something no one else was willing to do brought with it accolades and how.

“75% of the match is dependent on the goal keeper,” Sagotra reminisces on the words of wisdom his coach once gave him. “You can miss 100 goals and you’ll still be a star kicker, but as a goalkeeper, missing even one will flop you.” And the fear of flopping is exactly what drove Nirdosh to practice rigorously each day.

“While football is a team sport in which everyone has to pull their weight, as a goalkeeper, you have to work extra on an individual level. It requires both physical and mental training. Diving, footwork, gripping, high ball, jumping, etc all need to be worked on along with temperament and patience.” His time table speaks to this. As a career professional, he makes time in the morning and in the evenings for both gym sessions and practicing on the field.

“From the goal you can see all 20 players on the field and the opposing team’s goalkeeper. That’s 21 players to keep track of. If you see me play you will be surprised how my voice isn’t always sore considering I am screaming instructions to my team throughout the matches.” In stadiums full of 10,000 to 20,000 audience members, relaying his message is often a mammoth task but one he enjoys. “Since the goalkeeper has a view of the full ground, one has to be tactical about where they need their players to be.”

This approach has made him bring multiple laurels to the teams he has played with over the years including Young Stars, Sports Authority of India, Vijay Club, Pune FC RMV, Lone Star, and the J&K Bank professional team. Over the course of his job at the J&K Bank spanning 8 years, his team won 34-35 tournaments with Nirdosh bagging the Best Goalkeeper award 15-16 times.

His family, full of doctors and academics, was always concerned about his career path but seeing him thrive in the sport has made them put their full faith in him. “Every family is concerned for the wellbeing of their child, so I understand the apprehensions. However, families and schools should make the effort to understand a child’s strengths and weaknesses. I went to the same school as Abdul Samad, however it was only till we were successful in our respective fields that we got the recognition we deserved. If children display affinity towards sports, it should be encouraged at a young age.” Nirdosh champions for encouraging talent off the field, something he wishes society at large would pay more attention towards.

“There wasn’t much support for outdoor games growing up,” Nirdosh rues, adding that sporting facilities in Jammu leave much to be desired. “There is a lot of scope for sports, especially in football. Investors are waiting in the wings to hand over money to talented individuals and teams. If adequate infrastructural facilities are provided to sportspersons, talent will emerge naturally.”

For all those planning to be the next generation Ronaldo, Messi or Putellas, Nirdosh advises aiming high. “If you have a high enough goal, you will go very far. Dedication, honesty and discipline will aid you along the way.”

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