FIH Hockey World Cup 2023: I am going nowhere – Sreejesh

India’s veteran Hockey goalkeeper Sreejesh has revealed he has no plans of immediate retirement after India was knocked out of the FIH Hockey World Cup. Sreejesh was at his absolute best in the penalty shootout against New Zealand in the pre-quarters.

The experienced custodian kept India in the contest against the Blacksticks before he suffered a knee injury. With Krishan Pathak rising up in the ranks, Sreejesh’s place in the team is under scrutiny but the veteran wants to keep going.

“Definitely, I am there, don’t worry, I am going nowhere,” Sreejesh told ESPN when asked if he will be seen at the Asian Games.

On the other hand, India won their classification match against Japan by 8-0 at Rourkela on Thursday. This is India’s biggest win in the Hockey World Cup history, bettering their previous performance of 7-0 against Ghana at the 1975 World Cup.

Reflecting on the win, Reid said, “It’s almost disappointing when you get a result like that because where was that three nights ago? We will all go to our graves with that you know… those regrets. But look, tonight was about getting some pride back. [To] show that we haven’t lost a game, we only drew.”

He added, “That’s hockey. You have to score goals. That’s why I talk a lot about creating opportunities. Sometimes, it just clicks and it works. That’s what we needed. We needed a bit of luck as we got it tonight. If we had it two or three nights ago then things could be different.”

India will look to end the World Cup on a high with a win against South Africa. India’s next assignment will be in the FIH Pro League in March where they will play against Germany and Australia at the Birsa Munda Stadium in Rourkela.