India has talent to find a replacement for me, says ‘The Great Wall’

Says all these years his life had revolved around hockey and now that he has retired, he doesn't know what he will do

Paris: Just-retired PR Sreejesh, who stood like a wall defending the goal for nearly two decades before bowing out on a high with a second Olympic hockey bronze medal here, believes India has talent aplenty to find a suitable replacement for him.

Sreejesh, 36, stood rock solid in India’s campaign at the Olympics and played a key role in their hard-fought 2-1 victory against Spain in the bronze-medal match.

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“There won’t be a vacuum. Someone will come in my place, for sure. All the sports are like that. Sachin Tendulkar was there and now there is Virat Kohli, and someone will take his place tomorrow. So, Sreejesh was there yesterday, but someone else will come and take his place tomorrow,” the goalkeeping stalwart said in an interview at the India House here.

Sreejesh, who has been offered to take up a mentoring role in the Indian junior team set-up, said that all these years his life had revolved around hockey and now that he has retired, he doesn’t know what he will do. “It’s like missing my life. I don’t know anything other than hockey. From the first day I went to the camp in 2002 until now, I’ve been with them.”

“I don’t know what all I will miss; maybe when I’m home, I will figure out. From morning, I’m out with them — training, gym, on the field — there is always a fun atmosphere. Pep talk, team meetings, you have to shout at them, even abuse them,” he said. “The celebration days after a win or crying together after a loss, it’s been my life. Maybe, we don’t know what it’s like to be outside,” he said.

India produced their best performance here when they defeated Britain 4-2 in the last-eight round despite being reduced to 10 players in the second quarter. They, however, went on to lose to the world champions and eventual silver medallists Germany 2-3 in the semifinal to fight for the bronze medal.

“Yes it was a bit disappointing to lose to Germany in the semifinal, but at least we are returning with a medal that’s a big thing,” he said.