Suspended,Paul prepares for a day on the sidelines

The country’s top custodian joined his team mates on the ground and went through his usual routine of putting on the number 1 jersey,warming up and stretching,followed by an intense one hour session of goalkeeping drills. He wrapped up the day with dinner at 10 pm,the way he always does before a match.

But that’s where a routine that had become habit for the last five years would come to an end. While the rest of the Indian players at the team hotel drifted to sleep thinking of their plans and performance on the morrow,Subrata would find sleep difficult to come.

“I still find it hard to believe I will not be playing the match tommorow,” says India’s first choice goalkeeper,who received a red card and an automatic one-match suspension during the first leg of the qualifier in Dubai last week.

“My last red card must have been some five years and almost fifty games back. In fact,after every match,when we have to meet the match referees,I have always been told I was one of the most sportsmanlike players,” he says.

In fact,Subrata says he should have expected the worst when,according to him,the referee in the first minute of the match itself had threatened him saying he knew all about him and that he would get him.

Of the raised leg tackle that earned him the referee’s ire,Subrata says that while the offencse may have warranted a foul,there was no intention of hurting the opposition player.

“I already had the ball in my hands,and when I saw him running at me,my leg went up instinctively to protect myself. I was shocked when the referee red-carded me,” he said.

Though Karanjit Singh will take his place under the post for his first full match,Subrata says he has not been advising his replacement. “Karanjit is a senior goalkeeper and a very good one. I am simply still learning,” he says,adding that he will instead be cheering as loudly as possible from the sidelines.

While India are staring at a three-goal deficit from the Dubai leg,Subrata believes the team still has a chance at the Ambedkar Stadium. “I believe Ambedkar Stadium has always been lucky. In 2002,I won the best junior goalkeeper award in the Durand Cup here when I was playing with the Tata Football Academy. In 2004,I got the most promising player award with Mohun Bagan.

So it’s been personally been good for me,but the venue has also been lucky for the Indian team – we won the Nehru Cup in 2007 and 2009 as well as the AFC Challenge Cup in 2009 here,” he says.

Apart from progressing to the third round, Subrata wants the team to do well to get another shot at turning out in India blues. “If the team gets past UAE,I will get a chance to play in the next match,” he says.

And hoping for the best,Subrata says he will continue with his pre-match routine but with a slight change. “Before every match,I usually pray hard for several minutes that my goalkeeping is good. Tomorrow,I will be praying that Karanjit’s goalkeeping is safe as well,” he says.