A barrier against the rival and a great wall for his team, PR Sreejesh, a known legend, retires after bringing yet another glory for the country. He said winning the Paris Olympics bronze for the country is a perfect way to bow out of International hockey after India beat Spain 2-1 yesterday in Paris.
Sreejesh, who has played a mammoth of 336 international games, paid his obeisance to the sport, he dearly loved.
This 36-year-old boy perched himself up as goalpost in the Tokyo games in 2021, when India broke a 41-year drought by securing a bronze in Hockey. He prostrated in front of the post that he equally abused and respected. After he replicated what he did in Tokyo, he put curtains on his two-decade-old international career.
On Thursday, when he paid homage to his sport, people all around remembered Sachin Tendulkar’s act of bowing to the pitch at the Wankhede stadium, 11 years ago.
The Indian team was successful in making his last dance memorable on the field,
“One piece of advice that I got is from one of my coaches. He said, ‘Sree, when you retire, people should not say, why not? They should ask you ‘Why.’
“And I think I made some mistakes with that. Everyone is asking me, ‘Why not?’ And I think this is the right time to take that call,’ said Sreejesh.
Captain Harmanpreet found it difficult to say goodbye to the legend.
“I would like to say a big thank you to him because he gave everything for the team. We love him so much. He’s staying with us only. Here (showing his heart) only.”
Originally from a non-hockey state, Kerala, Sreejesh became a star because of his dedication to the sport. He has seen it all. From the lowest phase, when India failed to qualify for the Olympics in 2008 for the only time, to its gradual rise from losing all its matches in 2012 to reaching the quarterfinals in 2016 and then to medalling in 2020.
From being a youngster to being the senior most in the side, Sreejesh fondly remembered how he mellowed down over the years, “I used to be an aggressive goalkeeper. I used a lot of abuse to activate my players.”
Sreejesh on defending his team in Paris further said, “Being a goalkeeper, it is my duty to stop the shots. So I was just thinking about stopping them. That is not the right time to think about something different. I think they did a wonderful job as a team, as a good defensive team.”
His last outing, Sreejesh was emotional while waking up to his goalpost, “It was my home for the last 24 years. I never lived life outside that ground. I just wanted to re-call all the memories.”
What lies for Sreejesh ahead?
However bringing a good news to his fan, Secretary general of Hockey India, Bhola Nath Singh said that Hockey India will discuss this with the SAI and the Government of India regarding the appointment of PR Sreejesh as the Junior India Hockey team's head coach.
"Goalkeeper PR Sreejesh has played his last match today, but today I want to announce that Sreejesh will be the head coach of the Junior India Hockey team...We will discuss this with the SAI and the Government of India...," Bhola Nath added.
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