In May last year, hockey goalkeeper Akash Chikte, had travelled to Kuantan, Malaysia, for the Asian Champions Trophy as a reserve. But as fate would have it, he replaced veteran PR Sreejesh under the bar and despite being a tad nervous, emerged a hero as India beat Pakistan 3-2 in a thrilling final.

Nervous wait
This time, as the Indians are busy defending their title in Oman, Chikte is nervous again, but for a reason that has nothing to do with the game. Yesterday, the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) handed Chikte a two-year for testing positive for the anabolic steroid, Norandrosterone, at an out-of-competition test during the national team's hockey camp in Bangalore in February.