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New Delhi: The bonding between a goalkeeper and a defender in hockey is like brothers in arms. Considered as the last line of defense, a goalkeeper’s most important jobs is to keep pushing the field players and give inputs from the back – be it in the midfield, inside the ‘D’ or during the penalty corners. The retirement of PR Sreejesh has left a big void in the Indian men’s hockey team’s backline.
One of the brotherly figures in the Indian team for nearly two decades, Sreejesh had modified the art of goalkeeping in his way over the years, leaving a lasting impression, thus becoming an inspiration for the youngsters. For defender Amit Rohidas, the Indian defense line will miss Sreejesh’s inputs.
“I have played many years with Sreejesh bhai. We used to have meaningful conversations with him, be it for a Penalty Corner defense or whenever we felt stuck, we used to ask him what to do and he used to guide us. I will definitely miss him, especially during the PC defense,” Rohidas told India.com in an exclusive interaction on the sidelines of Sreejesh’s farewell organized by Hockey India on Wednesday in the Capital.
“Goalkeeping is such a job where the goalkeeper analyses the whole game from the back and he gives us directions as what to do. Whenever we used to concede a PC, I would go to him and ask “bhai kya karna hae?”. Now that he has retired, I will miss that the most,” added Rohidas.
Having made his debut in 2006, Sreejesh drew curtains to an 18-year career which included four Olympics and two Asian Games gold medals. Sreejesh was a part of the Indian team that won bronze medals in Tokyo (2020) and Paris (2024). In all Sreejesh represented India in 336 games.
Asked about a special moment with Sreejesh, Rohidas failed to pick one. “I am very happy for Sreejesh bhai. I thank Hockey India for organizing such a farewell event for Sreejesh bhai because we have never seen something like this before. Every moment that I have spent with Sreejesh bhai was special because playing with such a senior player in itself is a blessing,” added the Odisha-lad.
One of the medal contenders in Paris, the Indian team suffered a big setback when Rohidas was red-carded against Great Britain in the quarterfinals. As a result, the 29-year-old couldn’t feature against Germany in the semifinals.
Speaking on the red-card issue, Rohidas gave credit to his teammates for the way they fought in the semifinals. “It’s not me but the whole country is speaking about it. We played really well in the semifinals, created several chances but we couldn’t convert and the colour of the medal could have been different and we would have played the final,” he said.
“I needed to play that semifinal but couldn’t as I was banned. If I had played in the semifinal, something different would have happened,” added Rohidas, who became the first hockey player from Odisha to win two Olympic medals.
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