"Will miss Sreejesh bhai during Asian Champions Trophy": Sukhjeet on legendary hockey goalie

By Sahil Kohli
Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], September 3 : Indian field hockey player Sukhjeet Singh says that even though the team will miss legendary goalkeeper PR Sreejesh in the upcoming Asian Champions Trophy, it trusts Krishan Bahadur Pathak and Suraj Karkera to carry forward with the good performances for the country.
The 2024 edition of the Asian Champions Trophy will start from September 8 onwards. India is the most successful team in the history of the competition, with four titles. They won the 2023 edition by beating Malaysia 4-3 in the finals. However this time, they will be without Sreejesh, the decorated goalie who brought down curtains on his career after the Olympics.
India will begin their campaign against hosts China on September 8, followed by a clash with Japan on September 9. After a brief rest, India will take on Malaysia on September 11 and Korea on September 12. They will face arch rivals Pakistan in the last Pool stage match on September 14. The top four teams in the Pool will advance to the semi final slated for September 16 and the winners will face off in the final on September 17.
"Sreejesh bhai is a legend. What he did for the country over so many years, is a big deal. We will miss him. But we trust our goalkeepers, Krishan and Suraj to perform well for us, like Sreejesh did," Sukhjeet told ANI.
He also said that the Indian team is looking forward to secure back-to-back Asian Champions Trophy titles following a great campaign at the Paris Olympics, where India secured a bronze to make it back-to-back Olympic medals.
"We are having preparations at the SAI Bengaluru. Team is performing well. There are some nice junior players as well. There is a nice level of coordination between young players and seniors," he added.
Sukhjeet said that the preparation is going well and the coach Craig Fulton is telling them about what the best Asian sides can bring to the competition in order to assist their preparations.
Sukhjeet said that the mindset with which India played in the Olympics will be visible during the tournament and the team would improve on lapses they suffered in their Olympics run.
"We would perform well and improve on all the lapses we have during the Olympics. Win and loss happens. But there are some points we need to work on, in defence, striking, penalty conversion etc," said Sukhjeet.
On skipper Harmanpreet Singh, Sukhjeet termed him a "world-class drag flicker". Harmanpreet was the top scorer in Olympics with 10 goals.
"He performed really well in Olympics and played his role well for the team. He took the whole team together with him. His nickname is also nice. He has got a lot of experience, along with Manpreet (Singh) and Sreejesh, they keep the whole team together," said the player.
The player said that coach Fulton pushes and encourages each and every player and knows their strengths, weaknesses really well.
On the chances of a gold medal at Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, Sukhjeet said, "During Olympics recently, the way we played, the way we coordinated, the way we had a certain mindset, it seems so (if gold is possible in 2028). We had our lapses otherwise we could have changed the colour. We will try to get a gold in the LA2028 Olympics," he concluded.
Indian men's hockey team:
-Goalkeepers: Krishan Bahadur Pathak, Suraj Karkera
-Defenders: Jarmanpreet Singh, Amit Rohidas, Harmanpreet Singh (C), Jugraj Singh, Sanjay, Sumit
-Midfielders: Raj Kumar Pal, Nilakanta Sharma, Vivek Sagar Prasad (VC), Manpreet Singh, Mohd. Raheel Mouseen
-Forwards: Abhishek, Sukhjeet Singh, Araijeet Singh Hundal, Uttam Singh, Gurjot Singh.