Latest news with #Sreejesh
The Print
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Print
Pro League was a good wake-up call ahead of next year's Asian Games and WC: Sreejesh
But Sreejesh, who was part of India's bronze medal winning sides in Tokyo and Paris Olympics, felt that players didn't perform too badly but unfortunately results didn't favour the team. India struggled in the European leg of the Pro League and finished eighth out of nine teams to avoid relegation by a whisker. New Delhi, Jul 17 (PTI) Former India captain and goalkeeping stalwart P R Sreejesh believes the just-concluded FIH Pro League was a good wake-up call for the men's national hockey team ahead of next year's Asian Games and the World Cup. 'I think the players performed really well, we created lot of opportunities. We gave very good fight on the field but sometimes it happens the result went against us,' Sreejesh said on the sidelines of the launch of Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon on Wednesday night. 'The preparation was perfect but unfortunately the result was not perfect for us but the coaches have enough time to prepare the team for the Asia Cup and definitely next year the Asian Games and World Cup is there. 'I think this Pro League gave us a very good wake-up call to prepare and to be on our toes to prepare for World Cup and Asian Games,' he added. The Asian Games will be hosted by Aichi-Nagoya in Japan from September 19 to October 4, while the World Cup will be jointly organised by the Netherlands and Belgium from August 15 to 30. Post retirement after Paris Games, Sreejesh is now the coach of Indian men's junior hockey team and he is enjoying his current journey. 'Same routine, when you wake up early in the morning it's about preparing the players, ensure they are doing their best and rest of the day prepare for the next session, analysing the players. 'The only thing is that I am stressing my mind more now, earlier I used to stress my physical part but now it's about my mental part. But I am enjoying,' he said. India is set to host the FIH Junior World Cup in Chennai and Madurai from November 28 till December 10 this year, and Sreejesh is not leaving no stone unturned to prepare his players. 'For them (players) the biggest challenge is Junior World Cup because four-nation tournaments and stuffs like that are not going to throw enough pressure on them as the Junior World Cup. My duty is to share my experience with them, how to prepare for a big tournament, big matches,' he said. 'I faced enough pressure being a player and now being a coach I think it is upto me to take that pressure from the players . I am helping them to be realistic. Being a coach sharing experience as a player is more important.' India are clubbed along side Pakistan, Chile and Switzerland in Pool B at the Junior World Cup. Even though uncertainty looms large over Pakistan's participation in the Junior World Cup owing to tensions between the two countries following Operation Sindoor, Sreejesh doesn't want to focus on one particular team. 'We are in the same pool (India and Pakistan) but I don't want my players to think about one particular team,' he said. 'Any tournament starts from the quarterfinals, the main moto is to gather as much points as you can to ensure your place in the quarterfinals and from there the main tournament starts.' PTI SSC SSC KHS KHS This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
The Hindu
4 days ago
- Sport
- The Hindu
Poor Pro League campaign a wake-up call for India: Sreejesh
The recently concluded FIH Pro League was not too kind to Indian hockey. While the women's team got relegated after finishing last in the nine-team competition in June, the men, who were on a high after winning a second straight Olympic bronze in Paris nearly 12 months ago, finished eighth in the Europe leg of the marquee league after a run of seven consecutive defeats. Former India captain and goalkeeping great P.R. Sreejesh said the poor run of results should be a wake-up call for the men's team ahead of next year's Asian Games and World Cup. The 37-year-old, who retired at the end of the Paris Games, was speaking in the national capital on the sidelines of the launch of the 20th edition of the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon. The race, which will be flagged off from the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, is slated for October 12. 'The players gave a good fight on the field. Sometimes, the results are not favourable. Looking forward to next year, the Asian Games and the World Cup are coming up. Pro League can be a very good wake-up call for the team to be on its toes and prepare for the World Cup and Asian Games,' the two-time Olympic bronze medallist told reporters. Since hanging up his playing boots, Sreejesh has transitioned to training the young generation. He is currently the chief coach of the Indian men's junior hockey team. His major assignment this year is the Men's FIH Hockey Junior World Cup in November and December that Chennai and Madurai are co-hosting. Facing pressure 'I faced enough pressure as a player. Being a coach, it is time for me to take the pressure off the players. India is hosting the junior World Cup. Maybe there are going to be around 10,000 people watching the players. I've just told them to be ready to accept these things and give their best on any particular day,' he said.
United News of India
5 days ago
- Sport
- United News of India
Pro league a wakeup call for Indian team: Sreejesh
New Delhi, July 17 (UNI) Former India Hockey great PR Sreejesh feels that India's poor show at the European leg of the FIH Pro League 2024-25 is a wakeup call ahead of Asia Cup in August. India finished eighth on the FIH Pro League 2024-25 points table after suffering seven successive losses in the European leg of the tour. Speaking to the Press on the side-lines of the launch event of the 20th Vedanta Delhi Half marathon yesterday evening he said "I think the team performed well, we created a lot of opportunities, we gave very good fight on the field but sometimes it happens, the result went against us but the result went against us. This result is a very good wake up call for us ahead of the Asia Cup, and other crucial tournaments like the World Cup and Asia games next year." The Asia Cup will be held in Rajgir, from August 27 to September 7, 2025. The Hockey World Cup will be jointly hosted by Belgium and the Netherlands in August 14–30, 2026 while the Asian Games will be held from September 19 to October 4, 2026. Sreejesh, who won the 'World Games Athlete of the Year' in 2021 expressed happiness that more and more people are taking to running as a way to stay healthy "Every year more people are joining and running (in the Delhi Half Marathon) is becoming more popular, it's exiting, people should challenge themselves, get into the rhythm." The two time Olympic medallist who is now the Head Coach of India men's national U-21 team said that as a coach one of his main job is to ensure that the players learn how to handle pressure "As a coach my job is to take the pressure off the players, I tell them that during the Junior World Cup 10 thousand odd people will be cheering and yelling at you, accept these things, being a coach sharing my playing experience with the players is very important" he said. The 2025 Men's FIH Hockey Junior World Cup will be held in Chennai from November 28 to December 10, 2025. UNI RKM
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Business Standard
5 days ago
- Sport
- Business Standard
Pro League a wake-up call before Asian Games, World Cup in 2026: Sreejesh
Former India captain and goalkeeping stalwart P R Sreejesh believes the just-concluded FIH Pro League was a good wake-up call for the men's national hockey team ahead of next year's Asian Games and the World Cup. India struggled in the European leg of the Pro League and finished eighth out of nine teams to avoid relegation by a whisker. But Sreejesh, who was part of India's bronze medal winning sides in Tokyo and Paris Olympics, felt that players didn't perform too badly but unfortunately results didn't favour the team. "I think the players performed really well, we created lot of opportunities. We gave very good fight on the field but sometimes it happens the result went against us," Sreejesh said on the sidelines of the launch of Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon on Wednesday night. "The preparation was perfect but unfortunately the result was not perfect for us but the coaches have enough time to prepare the team for the Asia Cup and definitely next year the Asian Games and World Cup is there. "I think this Pro League gave us a very good wake-up call to prepare and to be on our toes to prepare for World Cup and Asian Games," he added. The Asian Games will be hosted by Aichi-Nagoya in Japan from September 19 to October 4, while the World Cup will be jointly organised by the Netherlands and Belgium from August 15 to 30. Post retirement after Paris Games, Sreejesh is now the coach of Indian men's junior hockey team and he is enjoying his current journey. "Same routine, when you wake up early in the morning it's about preparing the players, ensure they are doing their best and rest of the day prepare for the next session, analysing the players. "The only thing is that I am stressing my mind more now, earlier I used to stress my physical part but now it's about my mental part. But I am enjoying," he said. India is set to host the FIH Junior World Cup in Chennai and Madurai from November 28 till December 10 this year, and Sreejesh is not leaving no stone unturned to prepare his players. "For them (players) the biggest challenge is Junior World Cup because four-nation tournaments and stuffs like that are not going to throw enough pressure on them as the Junior World Cup. My duty is to share my experience with them, how to prepare for a big tournament, big matches," he said. "I faced enough pressure being a player and now being a coach I think it is upto me to take that pressure from the players . I am helping them to be realistic. Being a coach sharing experience as a player is more important." India are clubbed along side Pakistan, Chile and Switzerland in Pool B at the Junior World Cup. Even though uncertainty looms large over Pakistan's participation in the Junior World Cup owing to tensions between the two countries following Operation Sindoor, Sreejesh doesn't want to focus on one particular team. "We are in the same pool (India and Pakistan) but I don't want my players to think about one particular team," he said. "Any tournament starts from the quarterfinals, the main moto is to gather as much points as you can to ensure your place in the quarterfinals and from there the main tournament starts. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Hindu
5 days ago
- Sport
- The Hindu
Pro League was a wake-up call ahead of next year's Asian Games and World Cup: Sreejesh on Indian hockey team's struggles
Former India captain and goalkeeping stalwart PR Sreejesh believes the just-concluded FIH Pro League was a good wake-up call for the men's national hockey team ahead of next year's Asian Games and the World Cup. India struggled in the European leg of the Pro League and finished eighth out of nine teams to avoid relegation by a whisker. But Sreejesh, who was part of India's bronze medal-winning sides in Tokyo and Paris Olympics, felt that the players didn't perform too badly but, unfortunately, the results didn't favour the team. 'I think the players performed really well, we created lot of opportunities. We gave very good fight on the field but sometimes it happens, the result went against us,' Sreejesh said on the sidelines of the launch of Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon on Wednesday night. 'The preparation was perfect but unfortunately the result was not perfect for us but the coaches have enough time to prepare the team for the Asia Cup and definitely next year the Asian Games and World Cup is there. I think this Pro League gave us a very good wake-up call to prepare and to be on our toes to prepare for World Cup and Asian Games,' he added. The Asian Games will be hosted by Aichi-Nagoya in Japan from September 19 to October 4, while the World Cup will be jointly organised by the Netherlands and Belgium from August 15 to 30. Post retirement after Paris Games, Sreejesh is now the coach of the Indian men's junior hockey team and is enjoying his new role. 'Same routine, when you wake up early in the morning it's about preparing the players, ensure they are doing their best and rest of the day prepare for the next session, analysing the players. The only thing is that I am stressing my mind more now. Earlier, I used to stress my physical part but now it's about my mental part. But I am enjoying,' he said. India is set to host the FIH Junior World Cup in Chennai and Madurai from November 28 till December 10 this year, and Sreejesh is leaving no stone unturned to prepare his players. 'For them (players) the biggest challenge is Junior World Cup because four-nation tournaments and stuffs like that are not going to throw enough pressure on them as the Junior World Cup. My duty is to share my experience with them, how to prepare for a big tournament, big matches,' he said. 'I faced enough pressure being a player and now being a coach I think it is up to me to take that pressure from the players. I am helping them to be realistic. Being a coach, sharing experience as a player is more important.' India is clubbed with Pakistan, Chile and Switzerland in Pool B at the Junior World Cup. Even though uncertainty looms large over Pakistan's participation in the Junior World Cup owing to tensions between the two countries following Operation Sindoor, Sreejesh doesn't want to focus on one particular team. 'We are in the same pool (India and Pakistan) but I don't want my players to think about one particular team,' he said. 'Any tournament starts from the quarterfinals. The main moto is to gather as much points as you can to ensure your place in the quarterfinals and from there the main tournament starts.'
