'The country has given me more than what I've given to Indian hockey': Sreejesh

Playing down his enormous contribution to Indian hockey Padma Bhushan PR Sreejesh has concluded that the country has given him more than what he has done for the sport the views reflecting the legendary goalkeepers modesty and humilityFrom first taking up the sport with the motive of getting grace marks in board exams to becoming only the second hockey player to be honoured with the Padma Bhushan after Major Dhyan Chand Sreejesh has come a long wayI got a call from the sports ministry in the morning but was waiting for the official announcement till evening All this time everything was going on in my mind like a flashback I was watching a Hockey India League match in Rourkela when the awards were announced Sreejesh told PTI Bhasha in an interviewThe 36yearold Sreejesh who retired after winning a second successive Olympic bronze with the national team in the Paris Games last year is currently the head coach of the junior India mens teamConsidered one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time Sreejesh played a stellar role in Indias Olympic resurgence He featured in a whopping 336 games during a career that spanned 18 years and also yielded two Asian Games gold medalsMy first call was to my parents and wife in Kerala without whom this journey would not have been possible After this I called Harendra sir Singh under whose guidance I made my debut in the Indian junior team Sreejesh saidReceiving this award after retiring from the game has made me feel that the country is honouring me for whatever I have done for Indian hockey in the last 20 years I want to thank my country which has given me back more than what I gave he saidAsked about his feeling after becoming the second hockey player to receive this honour after the iconic Dhyan Chand 1956 Sreejesh said that he was unaware of this at first and came to know about it through the mediaI did not know that It feels like a dream India has such a rich legacy in hockey and we have given so many great players to world hockey Considering this it is a big thing for me to get this award after Dhyan Chand ji I consider myself very lucky he saidThis year Harmanpreet Singh got the Khel Ratna and I am getting the Padma award this is a great honour and recognition for hockeyRecognition in team sport Sreejesh said that it is not easy to get recognition and win individual awards in team sports but he has learned along the way that nothing is impossible if one is determined and dedicatedI have been playing since childhood and there is a general belief that one gets the Arjuna Award for playing extremely well and Khel Ratna can be received on reaching the peak in careerI am talking about team sports because in the individual category Abhinav Bindra or PV Sindhu got the Khel Ratna at a very young age but 18 players cannot get it in team sports said the veteran from Kochi who played hockey for the first time at the age of 12 at GV Raja Sports School in ThiruvananthapuramI made my debut as a junior player in 2004 and played till we won the second bronze in the Paris Olympics in 2024 I won Olympic medals faced defeat in the Olympics won medals in Asian Games and Commonwealth GamesI also made a lot of sacrifices for this like staying away from home and family from at a young age but now it seems that all those sacrifices did not go in vain The Padma Bhushan is Indias thirdhighest civilian honour following the Bharat Ratna and Padma VibhushanThe biggest takeaway from my journey is that nothing is impossible in the world If you have willpower you can achieve anything You just need to work hard and this is the right way Sreejesh had shared with PTI in an earlier interview that he started playing hockey to get grace marks in 10th and 12th board examsThe wall of Indian hockey is now a coach and he does not carry the image of a legend to the fieldWhen asked if he still feels like wearing pads and standing in front of the goalpost or climbing it after winning like he used to do as a player the Junior Asia Cupwinning coach said that he is not missing anythingSurprisingly I am not missing anything Maybe also because I am still associated with the game although in a different capacity I have played as much as I could and now I am taking the first step in coaching and want to do my best in this too he saidI am on the field but not in front of the goalpost I am on the side I am still shouting on the field I have not yet felt like wearing pads and standing in front of the goalpost or climbing the goalpostIf I had left hockey completely I would have felt it said the player who used to be the livewire of the Indian teamAs a coach I forget the image of a legendary player I think that I am new to coaching and still have a lot to learn I want perfection but then I tell myself that I am a coach not a player and it is my job to improve the performance of the players I leave the player Sreejesh at home and go to the field as coach Sreejesh Sreejesh also argued in favour of conferring the Bharat Ratna on hockey wizard Dhyan ChandHockey players are getting recognition and awards Like Harmanpreet got Khel Ratna this year Vandana Kataria Rani Rampal or Dhanraj Bhai got Padma Shri earlier but when it comes to Dhyan Chand ji as a hockey player I feel that he should get Bharat RatnaHe was the one who gave India recognition on the world sporting map Sreejesh signed offWith agency inputs