FIH junior men’s hockey World Cup | Forged in fire — how Sreejesh inspired his men to a maiden bronze

P.R. Sreejesh has shouldered the load of a federation with his acquisition and expertise.

As a goalkeeper, helium has stood betwixt glory and heartbreak connected galore occasions.

Standing extracurricular the goalmouth this time, the two-time Olympic bronze medallist recovered himself guarding thing other — expectations.

The FIH inferior men’s hockey World Cup successful Tamil Nadu (Chennai and Madurai), Sreejesh’s archetypal large planetary duty arsenic a caput coach, was wrapped successful nostalgia and hope.

Host India was well-prepared, well-drilled and well-equipped. The feeling was unmistakable: this was meant to beryllium the tourney wherever the agelong drought ended.

The Indians hadn’t stood connected the podium since lifting the golden successful 2016. In 2021 and 2023, they had travel adjacent earlier stumbling successful the bronze-medal matches to France and Spain. The scars were fresh, but the hunger was real.

This time, though, the mentation was different. The squad that assembled for the World Cup had been fixed vulnerability and accidental successful adjacent measure. A four-nation tourney successful Berlin against Germany, Australia and Spain had tested the broadside early. The Sultan of Johor Cup followed, wherever India pushed Australia each the mode earlier settling for silver. These weren’t conscionable tours; the broadside was getting acceptable for the bigger battle.

By the clip the squad assembled successful Chennai, content was everyplace — connected the turf, successful the stands, and successful the grooming sessions. Sreejesh, present 37, ran the campy similar a antheral who knew clip was precious.

Training days were aggravated and unrelenting. Penalty corners were rehearsed until musculus representation took over, antiaircraft structures drilled to exhaustion, forwards urged to sprout without hesitation.

Goalkeepers were enactment done their drills portion adjunct manager Birendra Lakra softly ensured that nary 1 slipped done the cracks.

The aboriginal matches lone added substance to the narrative. India swept speech Chile (7-0), dismantled Oman (17-0) and brushed past Switzerland (5-0). In the quarterfinals, erstwhile Belgium refused to fold, India showed existent nerves of steel, surviving regularisation clip and winning the shootout 4-3. It felt similar the benignant of flight lone a assured squad tin make.

Then came Germany. Seven-time champion. Ruthless and unimpressed by ambiance oregon occasion. If the league signifier had allowed India to explicit itself, the semifinal was an examination, and Germany its toughest paper!

From the opening exchanges, the European powerhouse dictated terms. It pressed precocious and and forced India into uncomfortable spaces. Possession became precious, and abruptly the big was defending deeper than it wanted to.

Germany was objective without being flashy. Its defence held shape, its transitions were sharp, and India’s mistakes were punished without immoderate mercy. By half-time, the scoreboard work 3-0, but the deeper harm was psychological. India was near to pursuit shadows.

The last score-- 5-1--told its ain story. Germany didn’t conscionable win; they exposed the big successful each aspects possible. When India yet recovered the net, it felt much similar alleviation than resurgence.

Inside the dressing room, Sreejesh didn’t fell his anger. This wasn’t the fury of a antheral disappointed by defeat, but of 1 frustrated by avoidable errors: escaped passes, mislaid possession, moments of hesitation.

Later, astatine grooming the adjacent day, the connection was stripped of emotion and boiled down to fundamentals: support the ball, respect unit and don’t get overwhelmed by it, destruct the basics errors.

The semifinal nonaccomplishment wounded due to the fact that it revealed uncomfortable truths. No doubt, India’s juniors are talented, ambitious, and well-drilled, but erstwhile the crippled tightens and the unit intensifies, determination is inactive crushed to screen against tougher and bigger teams.

After each the build-up and expectation, had India mislaid its bronze medal lucifer to Argentina, it would person raised a batch of uncomfortable questions astir the squad and the antheral astatine the helm, Sreejesh.

India, however, roseate to the juncture successful emphatic fashion. Trailing 0–2 for astir of the match, the hosts produced a stirring final-quarter comeback, scoring each 4 goals successful the past 15 minutes to stun the South American broadside 4-2. Three penalty-corner conversions turned the crippled connected its head, 2 of them coming via brilliantly executed deflections that showcased some composure and belief.

It was a effect forged nether pressure, and 1 that resonated profoundly with the caput coach.

Painful relationship

For each his occurrence arsenic a player, Sreejesh’s narration with the World Cup has been a achy one. A treble Olympic bronze medallist (Tokyo and Paris), helium had ne'er managed to triumph a medal astatine either inferior oregon elder World Cups. He featured successful the inferior World Cup successful 2005 and went connected to correspond the Indian elder squad successful 4 elder editions — 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2023 — but a podium decorativeness ever eluded him.

As helium candidly admitted astatine a virtual property league up of the inferior World Cup, the regret lingered.

“In the 4 (senior) World Cups, we couldn’t scope the semifinals. We were not capable to interaction the World Cup. It’s ever a regret successful my career,” helium had said.

That made the bronze-medal triumph against Argentina each the much meaningful.

“How I came back! I’m going backmost with a medal. I’m happy,” Sreejesh told mediapersons, the alleviation evident.

All astir trust

According to the caput coach, the turning constituent was the spot the players had successful themselves and successful the process.

“They trusted themselves, created opportunities and converted them. For the juniors, this is simply a large journey. I told these guys, ‘If you tin past this pressure, this is the base. Because this is what is going to hap successful the future’”, helium said.

Having been with the squad for a year, and a bronze medal to amusement for his efforts, what is Sreejesh’s adjacent plan?

“It has conscionable started,” helium replied. “It’s been lone 12 months for me. One triumph doesn’t mean anything. I missed my final. I missed that semifinal. That a large drawback for me. If you privation to triumph an Olympic golden medal, if you privation to triumph a World Cup [gold] medal, you request to triumph that semifinal. That’s truly important,” helium said.

The caput manager said he’s learning from his acquisition and would proceed to larn and share. ”It’s truly important for maine to larn however to hole for semifinals. Being a player, I cognize however to look it. It’s important for maine however to power these 18-20 young players oregon 20 and hole them. Therefore, I request my experience. I’m collecting it. I’ve conscionable shared those lessons, what I learnt during the Olympic Games,” helium said.

The players delivered, ensuring India its first-ever bronze medal astatine the inferior men’s World Cup and completed the afloat acceptable — metallic successful 1997, golden successful 2001 and 2016, and present bronze.

Watch retired for...

Several names from this squad are apt to diagnostic prominently successful the years ahead: goalkeeper Prince Deep Singh, midfielders Rosan Kujur, Ankit Pal and Manmeet Singh, defenders Rohit and Anmol Ekka, and guardant Arshdeep Singh. They person announced themselves, but they besides should recognize that this is lone the beginning.

Sreejesh, nary doubt, volition proceed to drill location the connection to the boys.