Sreejesh was a junior in 2005 when he donned India colours for the first time after going through a rigorous selection process by then junior coach Harendra
PR Sreejesh & coach Harendra
Life has come a full circle for India hockey captain PR Sreejesh and his relationship with current chief coach Harendra Singh. Sreejesh was a junior in 2005 when he donned India colours for the first time after going through a rigorous selection process by then junior coach Harendra.
"My first impression of Harendra sir was that he is strict but humane too. I remember I didn't have a proper kit then and Harendra sir came to me and said that I would not be able to go all out in tackle if I wasn't fully equipped, and promptly helped me out with some equipment. I went on to play the 2005 Junior World Cup [in Rotterdam] under him, where we narrowly missed out on the bronze, losing to Spain via penalty strokes.
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Coach keeps his promise
"It was heart-breaking but Harendra sir assured us that we will have many more chances in future to bring glory to our country, and we did," Sreejesh told mid-day. The two unite again as Indian hockey prepares to make history by winning back-to-back Asian Games gold medals, and of course that all-important Olympic qualification slot. India begin their hockey campaign against hosts Indonesia today.
India are in Pool A alongside Indonesia, Korea, Japan, Sri Lanka and Hong Kong, while Pool B comprises Malaysia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Oman, Thailand and Kazakhstan. India should not face it too hard to reach the semi-finals from where things could get a bit tricky given they could face either arch-rivals Pakistan or Malaysia.
PR sees the lighter side
Instead of being bogged down by any kind of pressure, given India are favourites to win gold here, Sreejesh had a rather fun approach to the task at hand. "I look at this tournament as a buy-one-get-one free offer. We are defending champions, so our first aim is to win gold, and with it comes the free offer, to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics," he said.
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