The legendary custodian got a kind of send-off, both on and off the field, that every sports person dreams of. He marked his farewell game with an Olympic medal and on Wednesday was felicitated in a way that no Indian hockey player has ever been before.
Hockey India put up a show, christening Sreejesh as the ‘God of modern Indian hockey’, in a glittering ceremony. But the 36-year-old custodian put the magician Dhyan Chand and Dhanraj Pillay on that pedestal while speaking in an interactive session during the event.
“We always talk about the 4-4-4 that Dhanraj bhai, we call him ‘anna’, has. He has played four Olympics, four World Cups, four Asian Games,” said Sreejesh about the former India captain and striker, who has also played in four Champions Trophy editions.
Sreejesh, who had the honour of leading India at the 2016 Rio Olympics, lamented that his glittering career, which also includes two Asian Games gold and two Champions Trophy silver medals, doesn’t have a World Cup trophy or podium finish to show.
“World cup miss ho gaya,” he was quick to correct while reacting to a question from the gallery about his feelings to have been part of a winning team at all major global events.
“I played four World Cups, three of which were in India, but unfortunately we couldn’t win the trophy or a medal,” said Sreejesh, who was accompanied by his wife, two children and parents on the occasion besides the entire Indian squad of the Paris Olympics.
“I hope we can do that in 2026 and I will give (captain) Harmanpreet a jersey of mine to hold it when they go on the podium at the next World Cup,” said.
Meanwhile, Hockey India secretary general, Bhola Nath Singh, announced that the federation has decided to retire Sreejesh’s No. 16 jersey in honour of his contribution to Indian hockey. “It (number 16) is retired for the senior Indian team but will be available in the junior team to inspire the next generation of players,” said Singh.
The federation also decided to appoint Sreejesh as the head coach of India’s junior men’s hockey team.
“He had told me about 5-6 months ago about his decision to retire after the Paris Olympics,” said Singh. “While we respect that, we have appointed him as the coach of the junior team and he has accepted it.”