Sreejesh: 'The Great Wall of India' sparkles in his last dance

New Delhi, Aug 4 (PTI) In the last leg of an illustrious career he might be but PR Sreejesh continues to be the point of difference for the Indian men's hockey team when the big moment comes calling.

Just when you think you have seen enough of him, the genial goalkeeper from Kerala would conjure something special at the post, and leave you pleasantly surprised.

Through the team's highs and lows over the last many years, he has remained an indispensable part, playing a key role in its run to a historic bronze medal at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

Exactly three years later, with the team seeking a second consecutive medal at the Games, the 36-year-old goalkeeper, who is ageing like a fine wine, once again rose to the occasion and delivered an incredible performance at the post to deny Great Britain a place in the semifinals of the sporting spectacle.

During an interaction with PTI, Sreejesh once said, "Goalkeepers are like fine wine, they get better with age." Sreejesh, will will retire from international hockey after the Olympics, is simply savouring every moment on the world's biggest sporting stage.

When he did that impromptu sit-down jig after pulling off two incredible saves in the shoot-out against Great Britain to seal a second consecutive semifinal berth for India at the Olympics, you know that this last dance could prove to be very special.

When you talk about the Indian hockey team's victory in any game, you just can't ignore Sreejesh's contribution, be it the Tokyo Olympics or at the ongoing Paris Games.

In Tokyo too, Sreejesh was key to India winning the medal after 41 years, making crucial saves in the bronze medal match against Germany, which they won 5-4.

An ever-smiling, animated character on the turf, always eager to guide guide his team members from the back, Sreejesh celebrated the bronze at Tokyo by sitting at the top of the goalpost for quite some.

And Sunday was no different as he rejoiced the 4-2 win in his wild, energetic fashion, jumping up and down on the turf for a few times.

The performance of the Indian defence and Sreejesh against Great Britain is something to savour for a long time.

Down to 10 men after Amit Rohidas was shown a debatable red card, the Indians played valiantly for more than 40 minutes without the key defender as Great Britain mounted relentless attacks.

The Sreejesh-led Indian defence's tenacity was tested to the limit but Great Britain failed to break them despite repeated efforts.

Great Britain had 21 shots at the Indian goal and secured as many as 10 penalty corners but they were not enough to get past the 'Great Wall of India'.

Sreejesh's reflex and his positioning in front of the goal should be a lesson for upcoming goalkeepers.

In the shoot-out, Sreejesh was outwitted in the first two attempts by James Albery and Zach Walch as he came out of his line early from the one-on-one situations.

But the fine reader of the game, who matured with every tournament since making his senior debut in 2006 at the South Asian Games, didn't take much time to notice his mistake, and it helped him to pull off the two crucial saves in the shoot-out.

Not just against Great Britain but Sreejesh played an instrumental role through the five pool matches, including in the historic 3-2 win over Australia after 52 years in Olympics.

Before stepping on to the turf on Sunday, Sreejesh admitted that he was well aware it could be his last international match, and was determined to give his all.

"When I stepped on this field today, there was two options for me. This can be my last match, or I got an opportunity for two more matches and I think, yeah, I got two more matches now," he told Jio Cinema.

"(It is a) daily job of a goalie. Some days it's a different effort (but) today is our day. Even in the shootout, the guys who took shots didn't disappoint." His teammates are determined to gift Sreejesh an Olympic gold medal as he gets ready to bid adieu to the game. PTI