Article by Vikas Pandey, courtesy
BBC News. Video
link above by Sportzworkz courtesy Hockey India
he
moment India won a bronze medal in hockey at the 2024 Paris Olympics, the players burst into wild celebrations. But P. R. Sreejesh quietly walked to one end of the field and bowed down
in front of the goalpost - his home for almost two decades.
He will miss that home, but India will miss him even more. The
goalkeeper, who played his last international match in the bronze medal
game against Spain, leaves an illustrious legacy behind him.
The "Wall of India", as he is popularly known, played a crucial role
in India's podium finish. His team were up 2-1 and Spain were fighting
hard for an equaliser but Sreejesh thwarted their attempts, especially
in the dying minutes of the match.
The instincts and the tactful dives he is known for were on full
display. His impact on the game can be understood from the fact that the
Spaniards earned nine penalty corners, but couldn't convert any.
Sreejesh and his defence team put their bodies on the line to protect
their lead until the end.
The former Indian captain can also be credited with bringing India
into contention for a medal. The knock-out match against Great Britain
went into a penalty shootout and once again it was down to the Wall to
protect his team - he did exactly that with two masterful saves.
Srejesh was in tears after India lost the semi-final to Germany as he knew
the elusive gold medal was out of his grasp, but he quickly turned his
attention to the bronze medal match. On Thursday, he was crying again - but this time in joy. Indians cried with him and social media was flooded with tributes to
the man who carried the country's hopes and dreams for nearly two decades.
India is known to be cricket crazy and players from other sports
often don't get the same attention, fame or money. And for a hockey
goalkeeper, it's even harder to be acknowledged. But Sreejesh never
chased attention or stardom; he just liked to get on with the job.
Sreejesh made his senior team debut in 2006 at the South Asian Games.
Indian hockey was going through a bad phase during this period, with the
team failing to even qualify for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
But Sreejesh continued to work hard on his skills, and his moment of
redemption came in 2011. It was the final of the first Asian Champions
Trophy, and Pakistan was on the opposing side. Sreejesh made two crucial
saves in the penalty shootout to win the game for India. Sreejesh was
thrust into the limelight immediately after the match.
His next shining moment came when he was again faced with Pakistan in
the 2014 Asian Games final. He saved two penalties to end India's
16-year gold medal drought at the Games.
But if there is one moment that sums up his character, grit and
determination, it has to be the bronze medal match against Netherlands
in the 2015 Hockey World League Final.
Sreejesh was badly injured, his thighs were covered in ice packs, his
thumb was close to broken and his shoulder was covered in protective
surgical tapes. He could barely walk the night before the match.
But behind all the pain was a resolve to win a medal for India in a
major international tournament in more than three decades. Sreejesh's
stunning saves in the penalty shootout helped India win the match
against a superior team. His place as a legend in Indian hockey was now cemented.
Sreejesh was asked to lead the team at the 2016 Rio Olympics. India didn't
win a medal but reached the quarter-final - bettering their performance
from the 2012 London Olympics.
An injury in 2017 threatened to end Sreejesh's career. Defying all odds, he
made a comeback after two surgeries and several months of rehabilitation.
Sreejesh was ready to end another drought - a 41-year wait for India
to win a hockey medal at the Olympics. He helped India win the bronze
medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics with his astute understanding of the game,
especially in the dying minutes of the bronze medal match against
Germany.
Sreejesh was able to ride through many storms in his career largely due to
his upbringing. He was born into a farming family in the southern state of Kerala.
When Sreejesh went for his first national trials and got selected, he
didn't have a good kit to protect himself. His father then sold his cow
to raise ₹10,000 ($119; £93) to pay for the kit.
Life came full circle on the day of the 2024 Paris Olympics bronze
medal match, when his father was surrounded by hundreds of people in his
house to watch his son win yet another accolade for India in his final match.
For Sreejesh, his two children will now become his priority, along
with his new role as the head coach of the Indian junior hockey team.
Sreejesh never let success get to his head, remaining humble and
approachable, and living his life without the trappings of glamour
usually associated with sportstars. This endeared him to his teammates and also
to Indians at large.
When asked by the Hindustan Times about his legacy, Sreejesh prefers
not to talk about his achievements. "I want people to remember me as a
good person who always had a smiling face."
n
a troubling turn of events for Pakistan's national hockey team, three
key players have reportedly sought political asylum in Malta, while the
team's physiotherapist has allegedly gone missing in Poland. Adding to
the team's difficulties, two other prominent players - the Pakistani team's goalkeeper
and drag flicker - have refused to continue playing for Pakistan.
n the eve of National Sports Day,
Olympian Ashok Kumar unveiled the statue of his father, Major Dhyan
Chand in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh. The location was the Mashal campus of
the Madhya Pradesh Power Management Company.
iacom18,
the official Indian broadcast and digital partner for Paris 2024,
delivered the highest-ever viewership for the Olympics in India. Over 17
crore viewers watched the Games on JioCinema and Sports18 networks,
amassing an unprecedented watch-time of over 1,500 crore minutes, along with a 2.6
times increase in advertising revenue.