The clock froze. History stood still. The fans held their breath. And then came the golden moment that brought India a bronze in the Olympics. A hockey medal that will travel 6000 km and land on the shores of India after 41 years.
PR Sreejesh, a history graduate from Sree Narayana College, Kollam, has rewritten one of his favorite subjects with his favorite sport.
India will never forget the scintillating defense of Sreejesh, who has just 6.28 seconds left on the timer. It would not be an exaggeration to say that we are on the podium because of an acrobatic, super agile patron.
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From quitting the game to standing on the podium, Sreejesh has had a stellar journey to stardom. Playing his third Olympics, it was now or never for the man from Kerala.
“Olympics is not what it looks like from outside. It’s like a pressure cooker, you have pressure from every field. It’s important that you stay in your zone. Those who win medals, they perform better under pressure, ”he said before leaving for Tokyo.
236 It’s hard to generate inspiration for someone with international exposure. No trophy cabinet is complete without an Olympic medal. Today Sreejesh must be planning where to place the most prestigious of all the honors he has received in life.
In 2017, an injury took Sreejesh out of the team for some time. This was a phase where he started thinking about his future with the sport. But after talking with fellow goalkeepers like Jaap Stockmann (Netherlands), Juan Manuel Vivaldi (Argentina) and Kumar Subramaniam (Malaysia), he decided to give the game some more time.
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“I used to tell him that’s what I feel. He always shared his experiences. He told me that goalkeepers get better with age because experience matters a lot. This is one area where you need it because You need to be calm. He told me that that phase (willingness to leave) will go. So whenever I have ups and downs, I look at him. He only said one thing, ‘Mr. have more experience then you need to act wisely When you have more energy, you do things differently. When you have more experience, you do things differently,” he had said.
This isn’t the first tournament where Sreejesh has repeatedly saved India under the bar, and at 33, he doesn’t know if it will be his last. With Paris now three years away, the Indian patron says he can’t talk about what will happen in the future.
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“It’s another three years. Nobody knows what’s going to happen. So this is the last chance to win a medal.” And he did it in style.
Sreejesh is not the kind of goalkeeper who just saves goals on the field. He is the originator of many moves that also occur in midfield. Saving goals is his priority, but he believes it is his duty to communicate with defenders like Birender Lakra, Rupinder Pal Singh, Amit Rohidas.
He is a talkative goalkeeper, also shouts and encourages the last line of defence. Advising them, guiding them at the top of their voice. Considering that a road in Kerala is named after him, he certainly knows how to lead people on the right path.
Former India coach Harendra Singh, who is currently coaching the United States team, received a call yesterday after the match. It was Sreejesh. Harendra picked Sreejesh for the Junior Asia Cup tour in 2004. Many say that the selection committee was not very happy with his choice. But Harendra stuck to his decision and retained Sreejesh in the team.
“He called me and said ‘I wish you were here’. It’s your medal and ‘thank you sir’. It’s a big, big honor for me,” Harendra told News18.com.
Harendra said that when Sreejesh went to the camp at the Gachibowli Stadium in Hyderabad, he found a shy person who would let his performance do the talking. “He is very different from what he is today,” said Harendra from the US.
Although Harendra said that Sreejesh’s game may have changed in many ways, but the coordination of his hands and feet remains the same.
There is no doubt that Sreejesh is the pillar of the team, but you cannot ignore the defense that goes with him so closely and tirelessly. Rohidas, Lakra, Rupinder, Harmanpreet Singh have appreciated Sreejesh’s efforts in the target.
It’s the Olympics and there is no free lunch here. India has faced a lot of pressure in every match played in defence. They have been winners on most occasions, except in that one match – a 7–1 loss to Australia.
In fact, Rupinder and Harmanpreet also doubled up as goalscorers in the tournament. The opposition hardly had an answer to his formidable drag flicks, especially given the pressure. Both of them also fed the long ball to the forward line with their slap shots.
While Rupinder and Harmanpreet would climb the pitch to assist midfield and striker, the entire burden of defense fell on Rohidas and Lakra.
For Sreejesh, Chief Sports Organizer, Education Department, Government of Kerala, he has certainly given a big lesson to aspiring hockey youth in the country.
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