‘Sreejesh’s contagious confidence will boost team’

Goalkeeper PR Sreejesh

India hockey goalkeeper PR Sreejesh is not only the most experienced member of the Tokyo Olympics-bound squad but also the most jovial. And both chief coach Graham Reid and skipper Manpreet Singh elaborated on his ability to entertain and motivate the team whenever the chips are down.

"Sreejesh has a contagious confidence which he readily shares with the team. He knows exactly how to lift up the group when things are not going well and of course he's one of the world's best goalkeepers, so he will be an inspiration to the team," coach Reid said. Skipper Manpreet provided an example of exactly how Sreejesh can be an effective motivator. "Once I was having a bad match and during half-time Sreejesh came to me and said that he has faith in me and that he trusts me and that I will surely do well in the second half, and I did. He is always communicating and motivating the team from the back. As players, we always know that Sreejesh is there to stop the goals against us," said Manpreet, who will be playing his third Olympics.

While Team India will have as many as 10 players, who are making their Olympic debut, the experienced campaigners cannot be undervalued and Manpreet highlighted this. "We have some experienced players like Harmanpreet Singh, Birendra Lakra, Rupinderpal Singh and of course, Sreejesh. So, this team has a good mix of youth and experience. We have been performing well over the last two-three years and all of us are very excited about the Olympics," added the captain.

Also read: Chief coach Graham Reid: We're aiming to jump onto that podium