Indian hockey team captain Harmanpreet Singh revealed the conversation he had with veteran goalkeeper PR Sreejesh a day before they won the bronze medal. Notably, Singh-led side defeated Spain 2-1 at Paris Olympics 2024 to win their second consecutive bronze medal. The match was the last time Sreejesh played for the Indian side as he had announced his retirement before the onset of the quadrennial tournament.
Sreejesh hung up his boots after glorious 18 years with the Indian side. He was in fiery form during their quarterfinal clash against Great Britain. The side suffered a heartbreaking defeat with a scoreline of 2-3 to world champion Germany in the semis, which put an end to their gold medal hopes. However, the side made a solid comeback and went on to take down Spain to clinch another medal for India at the Olympics 2024.
Harmanpreet Singh reveals conversation with PR Sreejesh before bronze medal match at Paris Olympics 2024
Harmanpreet Singh revealed the conversation he had with the legendary keeper a day before his last ever clash in India colours. Singh, as quoted by News 18, said, “After we lost the semi-final, I remember Sreejesh cheered us all up by saying, ‘Macha, today, in this tournament, we as the Indian team have showcased our hockey to the world and the whole world is showering us with love. This is a huge achievement for us. And we have one last opportunity to play together as a team and show them what we got”. So, that’s what we did, we went out and played as a team.”
He added, “Also, before going for the Bronze match, I told Sreejesh “Ye aapka life ka last match hai (This is your final match),” to which he merely replied by saying, “Khelunga bhi waise hi (I’ll play it as such)” What a moment that was.”
Singh, fondly called ‘Sarpanch Sahab’ by fans made an emotional revelation and said, “Since the first day of the tournament, we put up posters of him (Sreejesh) in our meeting rooms, locker rooms, everywhere, in order to remind ourselves that we are dedicating this medal to him. And it was huge for us to win the medal, dedicate it to him and to celebrate him.”