Coach Sreejesh: a man on a mission to bring home the FIH junior men’s hockey World Cup

India’s legendary goalkeeper P.R. Sreejesh’s career has been marked by many successes, but a regret remains: he has never won a junior or senior World Cup medal.

Despite playing in a junior hockey World Cup (2005) and four senior World Cups (2010, 2014, 2018, and 2023), a medal eluded him. Sreejesh, however, clinched the Olympic bronze in Tokyo and Paris.

Now, at 37, Sreejesh is aiming to change it, not as a player, but as the head coach of the Indian team for the FIH junior men’s hockey World Cup in Chennai and Madurai (November 28 to December 10).

Sreejesh, who was part of the Indian junior team which lost the bronze medal playoff to Spain two decades ago, expressed his disappointment.

“In the four (senior) World Cups, we couldn’t reach the semifinals. We were not able to touch the World Cup. It’s always a regret in my career,” Sreejesh said on Friday.

In his first major assignment as coach, Sreejesh emphasised on not putting too much pressure on the players. “Use the fans (and expectations) as your 12th man,” he said, encouraging his team to see the tournament as a stepping stone in their journey rather than an overwhelming challenge.

Sreejesh also reflected on the Indian team’s silver medal at the recent Sultan of Johor Cup, where it lost to Australia in the final. “The silver medal boosted our morale despite concerns over penalty corner conversions, which were addressed in the training camp,” he said.

The team, led by Rohit, is confident heading into the World Cup. “We’ve been training a lot, and we are prepared,” the skipper said.

However, the absence of Araijeet Singh Hundal due to a shoulder injury is a setback, although Sreejesh is confident the replacements are more than capable.

India’s Pool B features Chile, Switzerland and Oman, with Sreejesh suggesting that the real challenge will be in the knockout rounds (quarterfinals and beyond). According to him, the key will be to maintain high levels of performance in the group stages and build momentum for the tough matches deep into the tournament.

The team:

Goalkeepers: Bikramjit Singh, Princedeep Singh.

Defenders: Rohit, Talem Priyobarta, Anmol Ekka, Amir Ali, Sunil Palakshappa Bennur, Shardanand Tiwari.

Midfielders: Ankit Pal, Thounaojam Ingalemba Luwang, Adrohit Ekka, Rosan Kujur, Manmeet Singh, Gurjot Singh. Forwards: Arshdeep Singh, Sourabh Anand Kushwaha, Ajeet Yadav, Dilraj Singh.

Alternate players: Ravneet Singh, Rohit Kullu.