The Indian Express (Delhi Edition)
Sreejesh: Avenger and Superman rolled into one
LIKE AN Avenger grabbing his gears before flying off to protect the planet, PR Sreejesh takes his helmet, picks up his stick, hangs the heavily padded glove on it and swaggers onto the field to save his team. He smiles at his teammates; and stares in the direction of the opponents.
This walk, the 25 steps from the dugout to the goal, is when the showman transforms into a saviour.
When Conor Williamson started his bending run into the ‘ D’ from the right, Sreejesh lunged forward, shuffled his feet and slid. The attacker is pushed away from the goal and the ball is put over it. Phil Roper tried to deceive, first going wide out, then coming in; dribbling and hoping that Sreejesh would commit. Like a giant bird flapping its wings, Sreejesh marched out but the goalkeeper didn’t fall for the bluff. When Roper goes for a reverse hit, Sreejesh falls on his backside and stops the ball from going in.
The quarterfinal against Britain, which India won 4- 2 via penalty shootouts, was the 23rd time Sreejesh stood in the goal for India for a shoot- out.
His success rate is staggering — on 13 of those occasions, he has led India to a win. “Superman,” exclaimed one British coach, watching from the stands.
The ‘ superman’s last- second intervention, against Germany in the bronze medal playoff, paved India’s path to the podium for the first time in three decades in Tokyo. In his final tournament, he brought India a step closer to another Olympic medal.
It’s tough to imagine an Indian side without Sreejesh. With him in the goal, the players have a sense of wearing a bullet- proof vest, allowing them to indulge in risks they otherwise might not.
Like the whole strategy on Sunday when, after being down to 10 men, they pushed Britain to wider areas knowing full well that their runs from the baseline could result in penalty corners. “But if we conceded penalty corners, it was okay because we had faith in Sreejesh. He is one of the best goalkeepers,” vice- captain Hardik Singh said.
Coach Craig Fulton said Sreejesh was ‘ immense’. Manpreet Singh, the only other player in this squad to play in four Olympics, is ready to take any number of blows if it means Sreejesh walks into the sunset with a medal hanging around his neck.
They are all in awe of the goalkeeper. And Sreejesh’s love language is different. It comes in an ‘ R’ rated version.
Some of the words he barked from under the helmet might not have registered to most in the stands. The smattering of Indians, though, let out a chuckle. For players on the field, it was a warning. “I know how to keep this defence on its toes,” he says. “When they hear ( the words) I speak, they are doing something wrong. It’s a motivation for them.”
Manpreet chips in: “Even his abuses are sweet to the ears. In fact, when he doesn’t abuse, I wonder what’s wrong. With him in goal, I am at peace.”
MS in shootout
Especially during tie- breakers. Sreejesh in shootouts is like MS Dhoni in death overs — even with odds stacked against them, their presence brings a sort of reassurance.
In an Indian Express Idea Exchange last year, Sreejesh explained his mindset going into a shootout. “The mental thing is the only thing that happens in a shootout. The goalkeeper and the striker have just eight seconds. So it’s tricky, you can’t show that you are overconfident or show that you are afraid. Your emotions have to be neutral. So when I prepare for a penalty shootout, I look at the opponent, look at his ( striker’s) speciality. I just keep things to myself. I tell myself, ‘ It’s about you and those eight seconds. Not that player.’”
After beating Britain, he shed light on his planning for a shootout: to remain non- committal, so that for eight seconds, the attacker is thinking of ways to beat him; and transfer the pressure on the opponent. “Just kill those eight seconds — when you do that, automatically pressure goes on the opposition and they try something wrong.” Like Williamson and Roper on Sunday.
“But you need support from your players,” Sreejesh is quick to add. “They scored four goals and that gives me confidence, takes the pressure off me. It’s not about me, it’s about them. They make my job really easy.”
Last year, during the World Cup, Sreejesh was on song against New Zealand. But the strikers faltered, and India lost. On Sunday, they had a 100 per cent record. Twice, India’s penalty takers were distracted just before they embarked on their run. Harmanpreet Singh had to restart his run because the broadcasters weren’t prepared. When Sukhjeet stepped up, there was a small holdup because the Britain goalkeeper had a computer on the touchline with notes on India’s forwards.
Those notes didn’t come in handy for him. Harmanpreet Singh was all power; Sukhjeet Singh beautifully turned around the goalkeeper and beat him; Lalit Upadhyay got his wrists to do the magic and Rajkumar Pal scooped the ball into an empty net.
Their skills are backed up by Sreejesh’s swagger. The ‘ superman’ was once again the saviour.