Olympics: Hungry for more, PR Sreejesh emerges India’s hero in quarters shootout

PR Sreejesh turned out to be India’s hero during the quarter-final of the hockey match against Great Britain at the Paris Olympics 2024. The veteran goalkeeper revealed the mantra behind her heroics during the do-or-die match. Before stepping on to the field, Sreejesh just thought that this could have been his last hockey game for India. He expressed gratitude and said that he was glad to be playing two more now. India reached the semi-final of men’s hockey as they beat Great Britain 4-2 in a penalty shootout.

“See when I stepped on this field today. There were two options for me. This could be my last match, or I get an opportunity for two more matches. And I think yeah, I got two more matches,” Sreejesh told the broadcasters after India’s win. He was India’s main-man and the team’s hero during the penalty shootout. Sreejesh is set to retire after the end of India’s campaign at the Paris Olympics 2024.

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Sreejesh was furthermore motivated, especially after Amit Rohidas received a red card during the high-intensity match. India found it tough to cope with Great Britain’s relentless pressure, but goalkeeper P.R. Sreejesh’s timely interventions kept it at bay.

India’s hopes were dented early in the second quarter when Rohidas was given a red card and was ousted from the game for dangerously swinging his stick into a Great Britain player’s face. However, the Indian players remained relentless in their pusrsuit.

“Nothing special. But when Amit got the card, I thought, I just want to play the best for him because he is an asset to me as a defender. And I thought somewhere it all showed, the hard work, the dedication and the tough mentality because almost two, I mean most of the matches we played one match down, so that’s a great effort from the team,” Sreejesh revealed.

“It’s the daily job of a goalkeeper, and the English goalkeeper is also very good. But some days it’s a different day for another person, and I think it was our day. We did everything we could and what should I say? It’s like, yeah, even in the shooutout, the guys who took the shot did not disappoint. They scored enough goals, so that gave me enough confidence to continue with that. I got two balls and we won it.”