After 20 years, novel home-coming for hockey hero Sreejesh

PR Sreejesh

At the ripe age of 35, having earned a whopping 294 caps across a near-two-decade-long international career, India's veteran goalkeeper PR Sreejesh is all set to make his ‘international debut on his home turf' here at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium when the hosts take on China in their opening encounter of the Asian Champions Trophy today.

PR Sreejesh hails from Kerala, but is a registered player with the Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu (HUTN), where he previously played a lot of domestic hockey for his erstwhile employers IOB (Indian Overseas Bank). In fact, he got picked for India while he was an IOB player.

India players warm up prior to their training session at Chennai yesterday. Pic/PTI

However, when India last played an international tournament with multiple teams here - the 2007 Asia Cup - Sreejesh was not in the squad. "I was in the national camp then, but I did not make it to the team. I remember watching the entire Asia Cup sitting in the stands as Adrian [D'Souza] and Baljit [Singh] manned the India goalpost. So, it's an emotional moment for me to be playing my first match in India colours here. It's like my international debut on my home ground," Sreejesh told mid-day after a Team India practice session on the eve of the tournament in Chennai.

When Sreejesh was stopped

Interestingly, Sreejesh nearly missed out on watching the Asia Cup as he did not have a ticket. "Back then, I thought it'll be like any other normal game, but when I arrived at the gate, there was a huge crowd and the policeman stopped me and asked for my pass. Being in the India camp, I thought I did not need a ticket to watch the matches. Somehow, I spoke to the cops and some of the officials and they allowed me in after I convinced them that I was a member of the national camp. I clearly remember I watched the tournament from a far corner of the stadium," added Sreejesh, wiping the sweat off his brow after the intense training session.

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It's been a long time since that 2007 incident though and Sreejesh is proud to see Chennai host a multi-team international hockey event again. "The crowd here is great. I'm sure the stands will fill up and the noise will be deafening," he said.

‘India are favourites'

India (World No. 4) are the highest-ranked team in this tournament and nothing less than a gold medal will do. Sreejesh, a three-time Olympian, a multiple World Cupper and Asian Games star, knows what it takes to deliver on the highest stage. "India are the favourites here and the team are shaping up well. Our aim is the gold medal, but we will approach it one match at a time," he said.

Nerves, however, are something he cannot control, even today, particularly since this is an emotional homecoming of sorts for him. "This moment is really exciting because when you play a domestic game here - I have played more than two dozen domestic matches here - you don't get that much attention, but for an international game, it will be special. That 2007 experience is a great memory for me and hopefully, 2023 will be special too," he signed off.