‘Wall of Indian hockey’ Sreejesh set for swansong in Paris

New Delhi, Jul 22 (PTI) "This is my last international tournament," said the ever-smiling, long-serving 'Wall of Indian hockey' PR Sreejesh as he gets set to bring the curtain down on a glorious 18-year-long career at the Paris Olympics.

He would have by then attained the rare distinction of being the first Indian goalkeeper to feature in four Olympics.

The journey from Kochi to an Olympic medal in Tokyo was not easy for Sreejesh, who made his senior debut in 2006 at the South Asian Games in Colombo, as he often lost his place to seniors like Baljit Singh, Adrian D'Souza and Bharat Chettri.

But luck finally smiled on him in 2009, albeit in a strange way. Baljit suffered a career-ending freak eye injury and the lanky goalkeeper from Kerala grabbed the opportunity with both hands.

"This (Olympics) is my last tournament," Sreejesh told PTI in an exclusive interview from Paris.

"Now it's time for the family; once we settle down we will plan for the future. I will plan according to their comfort because all these years they have sacrificed a lot for me.

"I will sit down and take the opinion of kids, wife and parents. If they allow me, I will plan accordingly. But, still, I will work at the grassroots level and help develop Indian hockey," added one of the finest goalkeepers hockey has seen.

While Baljit's injury gave Sreejesh's career a fresh lease of life, his mind-reading abilities and understanding of the game helped him attain great heights.

Sreejesh was part of the team that won two Asian Games gold, two Commonwealth Games silver and four Asian Champions Trophy gold medals. He has about 100-odd medals and awards adorning his trophy cabinet.

But for Sreejesh, the bronze in Tokyo after 41 years is his most cherished possession, which he now wants to better in his last dance at Paris.

"Expectations rise if you perform and that's good, as it gives us confidence. Take it positively and don't take too much pressure. Personally, I just want to perform better than last time and help in changing the colour of the medal this time," he said.

The 36-year-old is a veteran of 328 international caps and will be the first custodian from India to feature in his fourth Olympics in Paris.

"It's a big honour and privilege to be able to compete in four Olympics but that's it; after that it time for the youngsters to take my place. I have had a very successful career and I am satisfied with what I have achieved." Sreejesh, who was awarded the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award in 2021, is only the second sportsperson from India to win the prestigious World Games Athlete of the Year award in 2021. Besides, he has won consecutive FIH Goalkeeper of the Year awards in 2021 and 2022.

Sreejesh termed the experience of a three-day camp at renowned adventurer Mike Horn's base in Switzerland en route to Paris as life-changing. "Mike Horn is not a normal person; he is an extraordinary human being. He is someone who came out of his comfort zone and faced death and overcame it many times. So he did the same thing (at the camp)... he made us come out of our comfort zone.

"When we reached Switzerland after a long journey, he didn't give us time to sleep, he just said 'you have half an hour, pack your stuffs and come'. We went to the snow, we did hiking, it was a very rich experience for us. Then, he taught how a team works, how we need to support each other," he said.

"The next day, we did cycling and then we went to a hill after a travel of 20 minutes in a cable car and we came down on foot from that hill. After coming down from the hill, we did cycling for 20kms, we set our camp at a normal place and the food was also very uncomfortable.

"The next day, we climbed down from a cliff with the help of ropes. So, it taught us how strong we are. It helped us dig out our hidden talent and courage," Sreejesh added.

The affable goalkeeper said the team had witnessed a lot of changes since the Tokyo Olympics and it was now more focussed on playing defensive hockey.

"See everything has changed. In two years, our coaching staff has changed, we are mostly training with European staff. Our style of play has also changed.

"In the last one-and-a-half years, our main focus has been on playing defensive hockey. But, definitely, we do have forwards who can score goals," Sreejesh said.

India's 16-member squad in Paris comprises 11 players who were in Tokyo, while five will be making their Olympic debut.

"11 players in this squad have Olympic medals and have got lots of experience but the five players who will make their debut in Paris also have enough international experience," he said.

India are placed in a tough pool alongside Australia, Belgium, Argentina, New Zealand and Ireland.

"According to me, it is a good group. The first three matches gives us a chance to take off. These three matches will prepare us for the last two tough matches against Australia and Belgium," he said.

"It is very important for us to garner as many points as possible from the first three matches as four teams from each pool will qualify for the quarterfinals." India will begin its campaign on July 27 against New Zealand, followed by Argentina (July 29), Ireland (July 30), Belgium (August 1) and Australia (August 2). PTI