At an exclusive interaction at the TOI office in Kochi, the 36-year-old former India custodian was unequivocal: “We have a tendency to pamper players.But I think you should always challenge them and give them more tasks. I will put pressure on the players”.
Sreejesh said India had everything going for them in Paris and it was “disappointing” that we didn’t get gold this time. “India had the quality and calibre to play in the (hockey) final in Paris,” he said emphatically, adding that “one day, we will be the best team in the world”.
He spoke at length on how a goalkeeper is set apart from the other 10 players in the team. “Actually, he is not playing hockey on the turf. He is a lone ranger. Even if the goalkeeper saves or concedes, he stands alone”. Dismissing comparisons to Emiliano Martinez, the Argentine football goalie of 2022 World Cup fame, as farfetched, he, however, said chance as much as instincts mean life and death to the goalie, quoting the colloquial Malayalam proverb, “a jackfruit might come crashing down but the rabbit scoots in time”.
Finally, Sreejesh categorically refuted any second thoughts on his decision to call it a day. “It’s a happy ending for me. I retired after winning the Olympic bronze and had the honour of carrying the flag during the closing ceremony.”
For 18 long years, PR Sreejesh exemplified commitment on the hockey turf. On Friday, TOI got a glimpse into his sense of commitment. After arriving in the city early on Friday morning from Delhi, Sreejesh agreed to visit TOI’s Kochi office in the morning. But soon he learnt his daughter Anusree was unwell and informed us that she had to be taken to a hospital. But he promised that he would be in our office as soon as the doctors finished his daughter’s medical examination. As promised, at 2 in the afternoon, the two-time Olympic bronze medallist walked in accompanied by wife Aneeshya and Anusree. In a long, freewheeling conversation with Team TOI, Sreejesh opened up on a variety of topics.
Excerpts:
Many great players, including Messi, have taken a U-turn after announcing retirement. HI president Dilip Tirkey himself has urged you to carry on…
In today’s world, such grand farewells are a rarity. Regardless of the sport or the level of competition, athletes seldom receive a send-off of this magnitude. It’s a happy ending for me. It’s a fitting conclusion to a remarkable career. What if I decide to return and that proves to be a mistake? The media and fans will be quick to criticise and question my comeback. I retired after winning the Olympic bronze and had the honour of carrying the flag during the closing ceremony. On returning home, Hockey India organised a magnificent reception, and my jersey number (16) is now retired. For a sportsperson, it’s difficult to imagine a greater tribute than this.
Despite retaining Olympic bronze, are you disappointed that you couldn’t go on to win gold?
Certainly. It is a fact that India had the quality and the calibre to play in the final. Perhaps that is why there wasn’t as much celebration as there was for the Tokyo Olympics bronze. The Tokyo Olympics medal brought immense joy and relief. Here, the joy of winning was limited. There was some disappointment as the team should have won the semifinal and played the final.
Of your two Olympic bronze medals, which is more special — Tokyo or Paris?
Tokyo is special because it came without any expectations. Every time we went to the Olympics, people would say that India would win a medal in hockey. However, I got to lay my hand on a medal only in my third Olympics. Enjoying and celebrating that moment is a special memory. Tokyo bronze will have a pride of place in my heart.
How do you deal with pressure?
Pressure has become a habit now. What I tell our players is that an uncomfortable zone is our pressure zone. When I say my comfort zone, it will be an uncomfortable zone that you cannot even imagine. Just imagine the scenario during a shootout, the weight of a billion people is on you.
How did you manage to remain largely injury-free in your career?
It’s not that I was completely free from injuries. I was once sidelined for eight months. But the thing is that I ignored many injuries in my career. Both my toes are fractured, with bones displaced inside and I didn’t attempt surgery or proper treatment then. I played using painkillers. Only God knows how many disc bulges I have. About ten years ago, there were around six bulges.
You have been put in charge of coaching the Indian junior team. How do you plan to go about it?
I will put pressure on the players. I will give each one in the coaching team specific jobs and they must do it in earnest and submit reports to me. We tend to pamper players. But as a coach, I feel you should always challenge the players and give them more tasks. Another thing is documentation, we should give them (the players) the correct reports.
Will your retirement create a vacuum?
I think for the next two tournaments there will be comparisons with the next goalkeeper, (Krishan) Pathak or Suraj (Karkera), whoever steps into my shoes. After two months it will fade away. They will compare him with the next person. It won’t be a big issue as long as India wins because people won’t notice your mistakes. It is when you lose, you will face questions. If we hadn’t won this time, Harman (Harmanpreet) and I would have faced a lot of criticism because we committed a lot of mistakes.
