Hockey India retires goalkeeper PR Sreejesh’s No. 16 jersey, names him junior team coach

Hockey India on Wednesday retired the iconic number 16 jersey of goalkeeper PR Sreejesh after he bid adieu to the sport, playing a pivotal part in helping India clinch a bronze medal in the recently concluded Paris Olympics.

“Sreejesh is now going to be the junior team coach and we are retiring the No. 16 jersey for the senior team. We are not retiring No. 16 for the junior team,” Hockey India secretary general Bhola Nath Singh said at a felicitation function of the India hockey team who won the bronze.

“Sreejesh dusra Sreejesh ko paida karega in junior team (Sreejesh will groom someone like him in the junior team who will wear the No.16 jersey),” he added.

🇮​​🇨​​🇴​​🇳​​🇮​​🇨​ ​🇯​​🇪​​🇷​​🇸​​🇪​​🇾​ ​🇳​​🇴​ 1️⃣6️⃣ ​🇳​​🇴​​🇼​ ​🇼​​🇮​​🇱​​🇱​ ​🇳​​🇴​​🇼​ ​🇧​​🇪​ ​🇦​ ​🇵​​🇦​​🇷​​🇹​ ​🇴​​🇫​ ​🇮​​🇳​​🇩​​🇮​​🇦​​🇳​ ​🇭​​🇴​​🇨​​🇰​​🇪​​🇾​ ​🇫​​🇴​​🇱​​🇰​​🇱​​🇴​​🇷​​🇪​.

Hockey India has decided to retire the Jersey… pic.twitter.com/MCv4VtSnZe

— Hockey India (@TheHockeyIndia) August 14, 2024

The players, who were present at the ceremony, wore identical red jerseys with Sreejesh’s name on the back as a mark of respect for the veteran from Kerala.

Last week, Sreejesh drew curtains on his 18-year-long hockey career after helping India to a bronze medal after defeating Spain 2-1.

This was India’s and Sreejesh’s second consecutive bronze at the Olympics, having won bronze in the 2020 Tokyo Games as well.

Additionally, the keeper from Kerala has also won gold in the 2022 Asian Games in China, a silver medal in the 2022 Commonwealth Games in England and a gold medal in the 2023 Asian Champions Trophy.

He also won a gold in the 2014 Asian Games and a bronze medal in the 2018 Asiad in Jakarta-Palembang. He was also part of the Asian Champions Trophy-winning side in 2018, and the 2019 FIH Men’s Series Finals champion team in Bhubaneswar.

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