Hockey: PR Sreejesh writes his own legacy - with joviality, immense talent and a dash of humility

If there is one person that represents the rapid resurgence of Indian hockey over the last 12 years, it is PR Sreejesh, the veteran Indian men’s hockey goalkeeper.

The 35-year-old veteran has seen it all – from the disappointment of a last-place finish at the 2012 London Olympics, to the change in tactics and transition into a competitive team, to the satisfaction of winning an Olympic hockey medal for the first time in 41 years.

Having been in the national team since his debut in 2006, Sreejesh has moved up the ranks. He was once an excitable junior player to India’s first-choice goalkeeper. Then he became captain of the Indian team that reached the quarter-finals at the 2016 Olympics in Rio. Now, he’s still a vital cog in the national team while also a keen mentor to his younger teammates.

“I always tell [the younger players] that hockey is hockey, whether you’re playing in the World Cup or the Olympics, or a test match against Bangladesh or Sri Lanka,” Sreejesh said to Scroll.

“We always train for pressure and to do the simplest things under that pressure.”

One may be deceived by Sreejesh’s genial personality – whether it be around fans, media, his own teammates or out on the field against...

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