India’s bronze shows character, but head coach Sreejesh wants more

A bronze medal finish in FIH Men’s Junior World Cup hockey for India on Wednesday may not sound dramatic enough, but the way it came at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium in Chennai certainly was. Not too many were counting on P.R. Sreejesh’s boys after a 5-1 pounding to Germany in the semi-finals while they were in 2-0 arrears till the start of the final quarter in the bronze medal match against Argentina, but their tough-as-nails head coach was an exception.

 The lionhearted goalkeeper, a two-time Olympic medallist in Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024, was handed the charge of the junior team soon after Sreejesh signed off from the international arena after last Games. Ever an inspirational figure whose vocal tonic kept his teammates on their toes during big moments, he did his bit ahead of the final quarter when Arshdeep & Co struck four goals in 12 minutes to bounce back 4-2.

The win ensured India’s podium finish after a nine-year gap as they last won the title in 2016 in Lucknow and finished fourth in 2021 (Bhubaneswar) and 2023 (Kuala Lumpur), respectively. What was his message to the boys ahead of the final quarters? “(I told them) Get that energy, you can’t be down 0-2, it’s hockey (and) you need to put your energy on the field. Once you come over on to the field, there is no point of regret; whatever you want to do, you have to do it there,” the 37-year-old reflected after the game.

The sense of occasion for a dramatic dash to bronze medal is difficult to miss as it was only last October that Hockey India started it’s year-long centenary celebrations. Lauding the young batch’s ability to deliver under pressure, M.M. Somaya, India captain at 1988 Seoul Olympics and currently a national selector said it showed that Indian coaches can deliver success at the highest stage.

Speaking to the National Herald over phone, Somaya said: ‘’It’s an all-Indian support staff of at least six to seven who worked under Sreejesh to deliver the results – with all playing a critical role. It’s been a fantastic result for the future of Indian hockey.’’

Asked to comment on how he sees this bunch graduate to the next level, the former midfield felt it could still be sometime before they mature further and wear the senior national colours. ‘’After the senior team, Hockey India also nurtures a development team of the age group of around 21 to 25 years who are already knocking at the doors. So let’s see how it goes,’’ the former midfield ace said from Bengaluru.  

Meanwhile, Sreejesh felt the victory was a testament to the players’ unwavering faith in themselves and the system. He highlighted how the team chose to persist, even when the odds seemed stacked against them. “It’s a process, you need to trust your teammates, you need to trust your quality, your strength,” he explained. “The team needs to believe in itself; they created opportunities. We were 0-2 down — (and) that’s almost down and out — but they trusted themselves, created opportunities and converted them.”

Replying to an obvious query about his coaching style, Sreejesh admitted that it involves firm discipline when necessary. “Sometimes you need to remind the people where they belong,” he said.

Despite the bronze ending a medal-drought, Sreejesh couldn’t digest the team’s 1-5 defeat at the hands of eventual champions in the semi-final. “I (have) just started, it has just (been) 12 months for me. Let me learn something first. One victory doesn’t mean anything,” he said, maintaining a humble perspective on his own coaching tenure. “I missed winning the semi-final; that is the big regret for me.”