From Dodge to Defense: PR Sreejesh’s Goalkeeper Journey

During a conversation with cricketer Dinesh Karthik on Jio Cinema’s ‘Get Set Gold’, PR Sreejesh revealed the reason behind his decision to become a hockey goalkeeper – to avoid the running involved for forwards or defenders. He expressed contentment in circling the ground and focusing solely on stopping shots at the goalpost.

Indian men’s hockey team goalkeeper Sreejesh revealed that he played various sports, including shot-put, before choosing hockey as his staple.

The 36-year-old player said, “Hockey was not easy because you need to bend, you need to play. That was tough for me. And over that, you need to run. I was an overweight guy. I didn’t like running at all. So, I have seen these goalkeepers in full kit, standing in a corner and kicking the ball. I thought that was pretty funny because they’re not doing anything. They’re not running. They’re just wearing the pad and kicking the ball. So, I thought this was the right position for me because you don’t need to run. You’re a part of the hockey team and you’ll get grace marks. That’s how I became a goalkeeper.”

He further added, “The goalkeeper has to be a crazy person. Crazy, because you just need to have the guts to stand in front of that ball. The second thing is aggression, you need to be an aggressive person, and those reflexes have to be there. You don’t get much time to just think, ‘Save.’ No, you just need to save it. Then you realize, ‘Okay, I made that save’.”

Talking about his school days he said, “I was a shot-put athlete in my school days because I was overweight with a lower height. So, my team was better than me. Then I went for football, but there were a lot of football players already packed on that ground. I tried volleyball, but I was not good enough. Then I saw hockey.”

He is all set to represent India in men’s field hockey at Paris 2024. India, seeded with Belgium, Australia, Argentina, New Zealand, and Ireland in Group B, aims for a deep medal run.

PR Sreejesh made history as the only Indian men’s player to win the World Games Athlete of the Year (2021). The goalkeeper has earned 16 international medals, including Olympic Bronze (2020), two Asian Games Golds (2014, 2022), two Commonwealth Games Silvers (2014, 2022), and four Asian Champions Trophy Golds (2011, 2016, 2018, 2023).