Boria Majumdar in Paris
India make back-to-back podiums in the Olympic Games and PR Sreejesh finishes with a medal. That’s the story.
No one deserves it more than Sreejesh and after 20 years, we will no longer see him in India colours going forward. But before that, he made sure that his house was protected and he has given us the coveted Olympic medal once more. Sreejesh had entered the pitch alone an hour ahead of the game and even went to the goalpost to have a silent word. It was as if he was wanting to say a final goodbye. He has been a true devotee and to see him finish on a high is one of the best things from Paris 2024.
If it was Sreejesh in goal, it was skipper and leader Harmanpreet Singh who yet again scored the two all important goals. Down 0-1 at the stroke of half-time, India badly needed to equalise and make sure that it was all even when the breather was taken. A quiet word with Craig Fulton just as he was walking up to take the penalty-corner, Harman was on song and sounded the board, with the strong Indian support finding voice at the Yves Manor stadium.
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And just after half-time, India had their best few minutes of dominance and came close multiple times. They scored once but got many other opportunities in the third quarter and in all honesty, should have closed out the match.
The fourth quarter was tense, with Spain pushing hard and testing India multiple times. But the defence and Sreejesh held firm to script the final fairytale of his life on the hockey pitch. And yes, Sreejesh did get on top of the goalpost and look down on his house one final time. It has been a career like no other and he deserves to be celebrated all his life for being one of the greatest to have played the sport.
With 10 goals, the captain redeemed himself and yet again showed why he is one of the best in the world. Finally, coach Craig Fulton has once again shown pedigree, as India wear the metal again tonight in Paris. All in all, a huge moment for the sport and it is time to celebrate as we get ready for javelin ace Neeraj Chopra and Aman Sehrawat in wrestling.
And yes, in Tokyo Sreejesh had saved a penalty-corner with six seconds on the clock. Here, he did so with a minute remaining.
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