Veteran goalkeeper PR Sreejesh is all set to play his fourth successive Hockey World cup, the third World Cup on home soil.
“It is a great honor for me to play my fourth World Cup for my country and the special part is, this is my third World Cup on home soil,” said Sreejesh, adding “I don’t think any player has had this privilege of playing three World Cups at home.”
Sreejesh who played a crucial role in India winning a Bronze Medal at the Tokyo Olympics, however, asserted that it’s the results that matter more than the number of times a player turns up for a marquee event like the World Cup.
While this achievement in itself puts Sreejesh among the world’s greatest players, he opined that results are what make one great. “Most of the time, I have always felt it’s not about how many times you have played a tournament but whether you have won it or not is what matters the most for me. This time too, it’s important for me to give my 100 per cent and get the desired result from the tournament,” he added.
The seasoned goalkeeper also feels that this is a great opportunity to change team’s fortunes at the ultimate tournament for hockey, in which India awaits to finish on the podium since 1975 triumph.
Sreejesh recalled his first outing at the World Cup when Coach asked him to pad up against Pakistan. This was in New Delhi back in 2010. “My first match in the World Cup was against Pakistan. I still remember, during the team meeting, our coach said that Pakistan will come fully prepared for goalkeeper Adrian (D’Souza) so he decided to put me in the match against them. When he asked me to pad up, the feeling of getting a chance was simply incredible.”
“To play my first World Cup match in front of a packed home ground against Pakistan felt like a dream. I can still feel the atmosphere, how the stadium was, how people reacted and how we won that match. That was the best moment for me as a youngster,” added the ace who will be India’s cynosure in defence at the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023 Bhubaneswar-Rourkela.
Recalling India’s outing in the following World Cup events, he said, “Every World Cup is special for a player, but I distinctly remember the 2014 World Cup in Hague. We finished 9th unfortunately but we fought really well in that tournament. Personally, for me, I thought that was a great performance. In 2018, we couldn’t go into Semis. Now, we have one more opportunity to change our fortunes at this mega event. Hopefully, we can improve our previous performance and finish on top.”