In a stellar 15-year-long career, India's hockey stalwart PR Sreejesh has won two Olympic bronze medals, three Asian Games medals including a gold and two Champions Trophy silver medals, and two silver medals in the Commonwealth Games.
The only among the top-draw tournaments missing from his trophy cabinet is a World Cup medal - junior or senior.
Unable to win a World Cup medal as a player, Sreejesh now hopes to remedy the anomaly by guiding the country to the title in the Junior World Cup, scheduled to be held in Chennai later this year. It will also be a major step to strengthen his desire to helm the men's senior team in the future.
Sreejesh, who has featured in four Olympic Games, winning bronze medals in Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024, has always aspired to give back to the game once he retires.
The 36-year-old retired from international hockey after a stellar career as a goalkeeper in which he donned the national caps on 336 occasions and is now the chief coach of the Indian junior men's hockey team.
And right now his main focus is on preparing the team for the Junior World Cup to be held in Chennai in December, the dates for which are yet to be finalised.
Right now we are having a camp in Bengaluru and our complete focus is on the Junior World Cup at home this year. We want to win the tournament and my complete focus is on that.
Keeping that in mind we will be touring Europe (Germany) in June where we will play matches against their junior team.
Besides two Olympic bronze, two Asian Games gold, and a bronze, two Champions Trophy silver, and two Commonwealth Games silver, Sreejesh has won four gold medals and a silver at the Asian Champions Trophy, a silver in Asia Cup in 2013, and a gold medal in the 2008 Junior Asia Cup, making him one of the most decorated and celebrated goalkeepers in Indian hockey.
He was conferred with the Padma Shri by the government of India in January 2025 and led the India U-21 team to the bronze medal in the Sultan of Johor Cup 2024 in Malaysia in October 2024.
A true professional, Sreejesh has given importance to the game before everything else, which was evident from his decision to retire from the game after the Paris Olympics to make way for youngsters.
My journey is going on well, I am enjoying my life as a coach now. I have always aspired to give back to hockey after my retirement and that's what I am doing right now. So, I am in a happy space.
Talking about his transformation from a player to a full-time coach, Sreejesh said: "Nothing much right now.
It's just that I don't have to train or exert pressure on the turf now. It's all about mental pressure right now, how to strategize, make boys understand things, and win matches.
Sreejesh, who is the mentor of the Delhi SG Pipers franchise in the revamped Hockey India League (HIL), foresees himself at helm the of the Indian men's national team in the future, riding on his exploits with the junior side.
I have always aspired to take the top position. Yes, I have the desire to be the men's team chief coach someday but that's a step-by-step process.
“I had already cleared FIH's Level 1 and 2 coaching programmes and am into Level 3 now,” he concluded.
Ride on the technical knowledge from the courses and his vast and invaluable experience as a player, Sreejesh wants to chart a path to the top in coaching too - one step at a time. The Junior World Cup is the first major step in that journey.
