Paris Olympics: India ‘Wins it for Sreejesh’ as custodian par excellence bids emotional goodbye after 24 years
In Tokyo, goalkeeper PR Sreejesh was perched atop the goalpost after India broke a 41-year-old medal drought by securing a bronze.
In Paris, he prostrated in front of the post, which he protected and abused with equal passion, before recreating the Tokyo moment after India edged past Spain 2-1 to win the Olympics bronze medal match and bring the curtains down on his unparalleled two-decade-old international career.
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As the Indians erupted with joy in the stands and on the pitch of the Yves du Manoir Stadium here on Thursday, 36-year-old Sreejesh, a veteran of 336 international caps, paying obeisance to the sport he so dearly loved, reminded one of Sachin Tendulkar bowing to the pitch at the Wankhede Stadium 11 years ago.
The Indian team was successful in its ‘Win it for Sreejesh’ campaign to make the stalwart’s last dance a fairytale. When he was carried on his fellow players’ shoulders like a victorious warrior, the campaign attained its climax.
“One piece of advice that I got is from one of my coaches. He said, ‘Sree, when you retire, people should not say, ‘Why not?’ They should ask you ‘Why.’ And I think I made some mistakes with that. Everyone is asking me, ‘Why not?’ And I think this is the right time to take that call,” said Sreejesh.
Captain Harmanpreet Singh found it difficult to say goodbye to the legend. “I would like to say a big thank you to him because he gave everything for the team. We love him so much. Lots of respect for him. He’s staying with us only. Here (showing his heart) only.”
Hailing from a non-hockey state Kerala, Sreejesh became a superstar because of his dedication to the sport. He has seen the lowest phase of Indian hockey, when the country could not qualify for the Olympics in 2008 for the only time, and has been witness to its gradual rise, from losing all its matches in 2012 to reaching the quarterfinals in 2016 and then to medalling in the 2020 Games.
From being a youngster to being the senior most in the side, Sreejesh fondly remembered how he mellowed down over the years. “I used to be an aggressive goalkeeper. I used a lot of abuse to activate my players. When I became a real super senior, the coaches said, ‘Maybe the youngsters will listen to you, but when you say this, it can demoralize them.’
“Then I started talking to my goalposts. All of those abuses went to the goalposts. Before this, goalposts used to be my good friend, my emotional partner. I used to talk to my goalposts like, ‘Buddy, what have you done?’”
Before his last outing, Sreejesh was emotional while walking up to his post. “It was my home for the last 24 years. I never lived life outside that ground. So, I didn’t know what was going to happen to me next. I just wanted to recall all the memories. I just was revising myself. And it’s a fun thing that Harman said to me, the dialogue from the movie, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag. ‘If anybody asks, is it your last match? And I will say that I will play like that.’ Then the team did it. And I had my time,” signed off Sreejesh.