Sreejesh eyeing a golden finish

KOCHI: “Which game had you gone to play?” an onlooker once asked P R Sreejesh at the Kochi airport. Reply: “I had gone to Punjab to play kabaddi!”

Facing such a question when you have just returned with the Asia Cup’s best goalkeeper trophy could be insulting for most individuals. But not for Sreejesh. For it has been a journey of tremendous grit for the Pallikkara native to have risen from a state that hardly discusses hockey to be counted among the best goalkeepers in the world. That was three years ago. An Asian Games gold medal, an Arjuna award, Hockey India’s Best Player award and a Champions Trophy silver have followed. The hero in Kerala’s backyard is beginning to get recognised a lot more. Superstar? Not yet.

Perhaps, an Olympic medal in Rio will help people grasp the enormity of his stature. The Indian hockey team holds the Olympic record for the most number of gold in one particular discipline. Now, it is Sreejesh’s turn to lead that team out in Rio. Indeed, what a journey! From the hard turf of the G V Raja Sports School in Thiruvananthapuram to the gloss of the grandest sporting spectacle. “Indian captain, me?” Sreejesh, the first Malayali to lead Indian hockey team, had wondered when Express suggested the possibility some time back. But for his teammates, the same self-effacing yet witty presence has been a calming influence, especially when the chips are down. Given the 28-year old’s positive outlook towards life, he, perhaps, was bound to become the leader. His effort - personal and as the stand-in captain - during India’s silver-winning Champions Trophy campaign in England, only hastened the progression.

“Persistence is the mother of personal change,” says Sreejesh’s WhatsApp status, borrowed from Robin Sharma’s bestseller - The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari. Now, the aim is nothing but a golden finish in Rio. “He is in great spirits,” Sreejesh’s father P Raveendran told Express. “He keeps saying that he wants to convert the Champions Trophy silver into gold in the Olympics.”

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