When the Indian men’s team’s Hockey World Cup 7th-8th place playoff against Belgium went into a penalty shootout, there wasn’t that familiar sense of comfort around the side. Yes, India had clawed their way back into the contest, and some could argue that momentum was finally on their side.
But the confidence wasn’t quite the same.
Mohith stepped into the firing line with the gloves on, while Belgium had their own wall of hockey, Vincent Vanasch, guarding the goal. Mohith did his best, but he couldn’t prevent India from slipping to defeat. Vanasch, meanwhile, produced two sensational saves when it mattered most to power Belgium to victory.
It was hard not to notice the missing sense of security in that shootout. One big name was absent from the Indian lineup: PR Sreejesh.
For years, India had relied on the goalkeeper from Kerala to pull them out of the toughest situations. In his final campaign at the Paris Olympics, Sreejesh played a starring role in India’s quarter-final shootout win over Great Britain after the team had played with 10 men for more than 40 minutes. And that was far from an isolated occasion.
Sreejesh’s absence was perhaps best summed up by legendary Dutch goalkeeper Pirmin Blaak, who was working with the Indian women’s team. While India had Mohith and Suraj Karkera producing some good performances, Blaak felt they lacked the X-factor needed to take the team to the next level.
“I watched the men’s team also and there is a huge gap after the legendary PR Sreejesh retired. The big-status goalkeeper. Young goalkeepers have come but they lacked the quality to push India to the next level,” said Blaak.
So, does India really miss Sreejesh? And did this year’s Hockey World Cup expose just how difficult it has been to replace him?
LACK OF TALENT AND EXPOSURE?
Romeo James, a former Indian goalkeeper himself and one of the first people to spot Sreejesh’s talent, had been vocal about his concerns over India’s goalkeeping department in the build-up to the tournament.
And, in many ways, his fears appeared justified.
India conceded 19 goals during the tournament, making them the sixth-worst defence in the competition. While the defence deserves its share of the blame, a goalkeeper is often expected to be that final line of resistance – the player who can turn a certain goal into a save and change the course of a match.
That safety net wasn’t always there this time.
James believes the problem begins with a lack of exceptional talent coming through the ranks since Sreejesh hung up his gloves.
“It is related to talent, you know. Everyone cannot be Sreejesh,” said James.
For James, however, talent alone isn’t the answer. Exposure is just as important, especially for a position where experience can make all the difference.
“You just can’t expect hiding in Bangalore and having camp there for two and three months, it will give them the exposure. Just practice won’t do so. You have to give them proper match experience.”
Since Sreejesh’s retirement, India used Krishan Pathak and Karkera as their goalkeepers in the Asia Cup in 2025. Suddenly, Pathak appears to be out of the picture, while Mohith has only 20 caps under his belt.
James also believes that goalkeepers need something that cannot be fast-tracked: time.
“It takes time to develop a goalkeeper. It takes at least 6 to 7 years. Even when Sreejesh came, he came into 2006 for juniors and 2008, he made his debut for the senior team, and then when he started playing well was somewhere in 2014 or 2015 or 2016. So it took him years.”
Sreejesh wasn’t built overnight. And expecting his successor to emerge overnight may be India’s biggest mistake.
SREEJESH THE LEADER IS ALSO MISSING
Much like in football, a goalkeeper commands the defence in hockey. From the back, they have the clearest view of the field and are expected to organise the players in front of them.
Sreejesh did that for years.
He often spoke about how watching the game from behind helped him understand coaching and tactics. He was, in many ways, a natural leader in the side – even without the armband.
That commanding presence wasn’t always visible in the current Indian team.
“What Sreejesh was doing was to call the proper defence and guide them,” said James.
The Indian legend pointed to his own playing days and recalled how he, too, was initially reluctant to guide a defence filled with senior players – something he believes can also affect young goalkeepers trying to establish themselves today.
“Being a goalkeeper, when I started playing for the Indian team, even I was reluctant and hesitant to call out the seniors in front of me.”
“Later on, when you are into it after 6 months or 7-8 months, when you’re sure and when you have played enough, then you can call with confidence,” said James.
That confidence comes with experience and security. A goalkeeper who knows his place in the team is far more likely to take charge of the players in front of him. That was one of Sreejesh’s greatest strengths – and another void India now have to fill.
HOW DO INDIA FILL THE SREEJESH VOID?
India cannot afford to spend forever looking back at what they have lost. Sreejesh is gone, and the search for the next great Indian goalkeeper cannot simply be about finding another version of him.
The challenge is to build a new generation capable of carrying the responsibility.
James suggested a two-pronged approach, beginning with identifying a larger pool of goalkeepers and giving them the opportunity to prove themselves.
“See, there are short-term and long-term options. Short-term will be to identify those who are playing right now in the Indian team, about 7-8 goalkeepers. You train them and then you see who is the best, you know, and give them exposure.”
“And long-term, then you train those sub-junior guys, you know, trained under a goalkeeper who can teach them modern hockey basics, you know. If your basics are right, right from some junior level, and then it will take eight years or 10 years, but you have to start from somewhere. You have to start,” said James.
The other suggestion was to make better use of the Hockey India League and ensure Indian goalkeepers get meaningful game time alongside the world’s best players.
“In Hockey India League, our goalkeepers should be given preference. I mean, what is the use of having a Hockey India League when you’re not exposing our goalkeepers and our drag flickers?” said James.
India have bigger assignments ahead, with the Asian Games and the road to the Los Angeles Olympics waiting around the corner. And goalkeeping remains one department that cannot be ignored.
For now, India may not want to admit it, but the truth is hard to escape: they miss PR Sreejesh.
The longer they take to build a reliable successor, the more that absence will continue to haunt them—especially when the next big match goes down to the wire and India need someone to stand between them and defeat.
– Ends
