Hockey India on Wednesday decided to retire the jersey number 16 of legendary goalkeeper PR Sreejesh. Sreejesh retired from the sport after playing a key role in helping the country win its second consecutive Olympic bronze medal in the recently concluded Paris Games. Hockey India General Secretary Bhola Nath Singh said that in future no senior team player will be given jersey number 16, although this jersey will be available at the junior level. Bhola Nath also announced that Sreejesh, who has represented the country for nearly two decades, will take up the role of junior national coach.
Will prepare second Sreejesh in junior team
Bhola Nath said at a function organized in honor of 36-year-old Sreejesh, “Sreejesh is now going to become the coach of the junior team and we are retiring the number 16 jersey for the senior team. We are not retiring the number 16 jersey for the junior team. He said, “Sreejesh will prepare another Sreejesh in the junior team (Sreejesh will prepare a player like himself in the junior team who will wear the number 16 jersey).” In honor of this experienced player from Kerala, the players present at the ceremony were wearing identical red jerseys with the name Sreejesh written on the back.
To find my alternative… PR Sreejesh said after retiring from hockey
Sreejesh wants to follow Dravid’s footsteps
When Sreejesh, the wall of Indian hockey, starts his new innings as the coach of the junior team, his idol will be Rahul Dravid, the wall of Indian cricket. He said, “I want to start coaching from the junior level like Rahul Dravid did.” He said, “In such a situation, you will have a chance to develop a group of players when they come to the senior team. So they will understand you and you will know about them.
Before becoming the head coach of the Indian cricket team, Dravid had coached the Under-19, National Cricket Academy (NCA) and India A teams for a long time. Under the supervision of Dravid, who was one of the most reliable batsmen of his time, the Indian team won the title in the T20 World Cup played in America and West Indies. Sreejesh said that he wants to be the head coach of the national team on Indian soil in the 2036 Olympics. India is in the race to host the 2036 Olympics.
