It was a starry afternoon in New Delhi on the Annual Hockey India Awards on Sunday, March 31 with the women and men gamers being awarded for his or her performances and achievements by way of the calendar yr of 2023. Hardik Singh and Salima Tete walked away with the Hockey India Balbir Singh Sr. Award for the Participant of the 12 months in Males and Girls classes respectively whereas the 1975 World Cup Hero, Ashok Kumar was handed the Lifetime Achievement Award, named after his late father, the legend Main Dhyan Chand. Kumar acquired a trophy and INR 30 Lakh with a complete prize pool of the ceremony being INR 7.56 crore.
Among the many particular person winners, senior professional PR Sreejesh gained the Hockey India Baljit Singh Award for Goalkeeper of the 12 months, captain Harmanpreet Singh walked away with the Hockey India Pargat Singh Award for Defender of the 12 months. Hardik Singh gained the Hockey India Ajit Pal Singh Award for Midfielder of the 12 months whereas Abhishek gained the celebrated Hockey India Dhanraj Pillay Award for Ahead of the 12 months, with all of them receiving a trophy and INR 5 Lakh.
On the sidelines of the occasion, PR Sreejesh, one of many a number of awardees, spoke to India TV in regards to the staff’s preparations forward of the large season that includes the Paris Olympics, how private recognitions act as a motivating issue and managing expectations.
India are set to embark on the tour of Australia, which is able to characteristic 5 Check matches, adopted by 4 matches in Belgium, 4 in England after which a tour of Europe which is able to characteristic video games towards the Netherlands after which the Olympics. Whereas the main target will stay Olympics and the staff would wish to higher the Bronze medal they gained in Tokyo, every collection may have its significance.
“The low season was actually good. The final three weeks we had been in Bhubaneshwar, we skilled actually exhausting, the local weather was a bit completely different too however nonetheless I believe we managed to coach actually good. It was the preparation week for us and our focus was on energy and getting our our bodies in form. You possibly can see, we really feel stronger and fitter,” Sreejesh stated.
Nonetheless, Sreejesh wasn’t placing stress on himself or the staff to win in any respect prices in Australia as a result of they’ve an extended season forward and the gamers cannot be placing stress on themselves with the Olympics at the back of the thoughts. “It is a factor of simply going there and be taught from there. It is not about going and conquering [Australia]. You go there to be taught and to carry out.”
2023 started on a tough observe for the Indian males’s hockey staff having completed ninth within the FIH Hockey World Cup in January. A change of coach noticed Craig Fulton, former South African worldwide, take the cost and never simply the outcomes modified but in addition the planning and the preparations which ended up within the staff reaching his first aim as a head coach, profitable the Asian Video games and securing an computerized qualification for the Olympics.
So, now there are expectations from the staff. Nonetheless, Sreejesh urged that expectations should not be handled as a burden however as a optimistic problem and the 35-year-old additionally revealed his recommendation to the children within the staff about managing the identical.
“Why expectations? Due to performances. So take it as a optimistic problem. Do not take it as a burden that everybody is anticipating us to win, so we’ve got to win. No, why is there an expectation as a result of we’re profitable. Why are we profitable, as a result of we’re placing within the exhausting work and everyone seems to be performing extraordinarily effectively. So, simply deal with the efficiency.
“I simply inform the children, ‘Do not give it some thought. Do not permit the skin stress to get to you. Simply focus in your recreation and simply play the sport higher,” Sreejesh added.
Sreejesh will not be getting any youthful and India have already began making ready the goalkeepers for the longer term with Krishna Bahadur Pathak, Suraj Karkera and Pawan Malik being the frontrunners. The 35-year-old himself admitted that it isn’t simply ‘Sreejesh’, there are a couple of high quality goalkeepers in line for the staff however the ageless Indian wall continues to be profitable the awards and acting at a degree that might make children quiver.
On being awarded the ‘Goalkeeper of the 12 months’ award, Sreejesh stated, “Each recognition is a good push. It acts as an awesome motivating issue. How do I clarify, it is like a supporting system! Prefer to make a toddler completely satisfied, you give them sweets. So it is like, ‘you might be doing effectively, take greatest goalkeeper’. So I’m completely satisfied. This can be a motivation for us as gamers and likewise a push to do effectively sooner or later.
“It is also a reminder of your accountability since you are being rewarded to your good efficiency, so it is anticipated for us to keep up the extent of efficiency. So, it is an awesome accountability and motivation to maintain performing and assist make the staff win,” he added.
India are drawn in Pool B for Paris 2024 in what’s being referred to as a gaggle of loss of life because it options defending champions Belgium, Australia, Belgium, New Zealand, Argentina and Eire. Sreejesh was fairly pragmatic in his evaluation of the group as he admitted that Belgium and Australia are sturdy groups however solely these two cannot be their sole focus given there are three extra groups to be performed and their first aim would be the quarter-finals.
Hockey India League to return in 2025
On the occasion, the Hockey Federation Basic Secretary Bhola Nath Singh introduced that the Hockey India League (HIL) will return after eight years in January 2025. The league might be below Hockey India however will even be managed by a separate entity. HIL will see eight groups within the males’s competitors and 6 in girls’s with all 14 sides being completely different and allotted to completely different cities in India, most of whom have already been finalised. The participant public sale will happen later this as soon as the Olympics are accomplished.
