PR Sreejesh retires: An ode to a legend who signed off at the top of his game

When the final hooter was sounded on August 8, Thursday in the bronze medal match at the Paris Olympics 2024.

The Indian players would erupt in joy before making the run towards their favourite PR Sreejesh. The goalkeeper, however, was simple with his celebration. There were no fist bumps or shouts of joy. It was just a simple moment for the 36-year-old, who bowed down before the goalpost like it was a shrine where his god was living.

There was a sense of fulfilment for a man who got his first kit after his father decided to sell their cow. It felt like life had come full circle for a star, who had seen the highs and lows of Indian hockey, coming from Kerala, where the sport has never had a rich history. From the absolute rock-bottom the team hit in the 2012 London Olympics, Sreejesh remained a constant to see the revival of Indian hockey as it won 2 back-to-back Olympic medals for the first time since 1972.

However, as fans, you feel like Sreejesh was nowhere close to retirement. It seemed like the Indian star hadn’t aged at all, especially during the Paris Olympics 2024 campaign. Nimble on his feet, with reactions showing no sign of any tardiness, Sreejesh lived up to his name of being the wall of Indian hockey. This was perfectly shown in the game against Australia, India’s biggest bogey team.

Sreejesh was ever present to thwart any attack that was inside the Indian D. The last save he pulled off with just 7 seconds on the clock and close to 7 Australian players in the D, makes you just say he is Indian hockey’s ‘Thala for a reason.’ And just when you thought, he couldn’t top things off, in came the Great Britain quarterfinal.

In hockey, when you have a red card shown, it’s almost like that team is bound to lose. No one is expected to hold on and not see the opponents score. When Amit Rohidas was given his marching orders, everyone felt India were going out of the competition. But the team scored and eventually the game was 1-1, when Sreejesh decided that it was time for him to be that extra defender for his side. A barrage of close to 11 penalty corners were stopped by Sreejesh and Co as he never stopped being telling his players what to do. He didn’t have the captain’s armband at that moment, but he was certainly ‘Sreejesh bhai’ for the entire team.

Then came the penalty shootout, where there’s almost a sense that when Sreejesh is on the line, the attacker is under pressure. And it was certainly there for everyone to see. Great Britain crumbled under pressure, as they missed two shots and India won 4-2.

And in the bronze medal match, the pressure remained on India in the final quarter. Spain had 15 shots and 9 PCs but Sreejesh was up to the task, when it was needed. So then, Sreejesh why retire now?

Going out on top
“To retire at the top of the game, that’s always been my aim.”

These were the words of the legendary Joe Calzaghe as he decided to end his boxing career 46-0. While Sreejesh did have his fair share of losses and disappointments in hockey, he ended it at the top of his game.

And Sreejesh wanted the same. In the run-up to the event, Sreejesh made it clear why he felt the Olympics was the best place to call it a day. He felt that everyone would remember him for his bold call.

“But this time I thought, gearing up for my fourth Olympics, I think this is the best platform for me to say goodbye because I believe that this is the best, the top place where you can say, ‘ok, I’m done with this,'” said Sreejesh.

And that’s what he ended up doing. Despite Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey admitting they wanted him to continue and fans asking him to go on, Sreejesh admitted that no U-turns will be happening this time around.

His reasoning was perfect as well, as he didn’t want people to say yeah, this is the time to retire.

“I know that after today’s match or after today’s victory, nobody wanted me to retire. But as I mentioned earlier, my coach said, Sree, it’s a question like when you retire, when you take that call, people should not ask. Why not? They should ask why. And I think this is the perfect way. But, I think my team gave the best send-off to me,” said Sreejesh.

So, is it the end for Sreejesh and Indian hockey?
Well, definitely not. By his own admission, the 36-year-old wants to be a coach and contribute back to the sport. And Hockey India have certainly followed up on that and has made him the new head coach of the jr.men’s hockey team, right after the bronze medal win.

But that could be just the start of his new chapter as one can expect him to be back with the senior team as coach in the not so distant future.

To end this ode, we bring another Sreejesh quote, which perfectly sums up what hockey means to him.

“My life is because of hockey, and my family is eating their bread and butter because of hockey. And these people recognise me because of hockey. Money is not everything. I think there are some emotions and people show that emotion to us. And I think I’m proud I played this beautiful game and I achieved something for my country, in the Olympics or any platform of hockey.”

And as the curtains fall on a fantastic career, Sreejesh decided to do what he did in Tokyo. Jumped up on the goalpost, just looked back at his career with a smile on his face as his teammates just acknowledged him as the best.

Legends never retire and in the case of Indian hockey, Sreejesh will be back to teach the next group of stars and show what it means to be the absolute best.