sreejesh p r

former goalkeeper #indian hockey team #olympian #goalkeeper #16 #proud indian.

[sreejesh p r @16Sreejesh]

Super proud of our women’s team for securing 5th place at the World Cup — a fantastic achievement after 52 years! 🇮🇳🏑
Great teamwork, fighting spirit and belief throughout. You’ve made the nation proud! 💪❤️
Jai Hind! 🇮🇳

(And yes… I missed a thrilling match because of my travels 🫣😅)

[sreejesh p r @16Sreejesh]

@DiggySinghDeo It’s all about how you look forward,
How you look about now,
How you look about your pockets 🤣

[sreejesh p r @16Sreejesh]

Don’t worry… the World Cup doesn’t matter. 🤡

The Asian Games are coming. Win a medal 🥇 there, and then we can start dreaming about LA 2028. Apparently, that’s enough to cover everything that went wrong at the World Cup.

Women’s chief coach on holiday just before the World Cup — and the girls still fought their hearts out and exceeded expectations. Credit to the players. But where is the accountability? Do we really expect a team to perform at its best when the chief coach is away during the final phase of preparation?

Men’s team loses to a top team → “It’s a learning experience.”
Beats an Asian team → “Great victory.”
Plays good hockey → “Good performance.”

But here’s the uncomfortable question:
Are we building a team to PLAY good hockey, or a team capable of WINNING against the best in the world?

Stop hiding behind “learning”, “good hockey” and future tournaments.

The World Cup is not a rehearsal.
It is the World Cup.😎

So who is going to ask the difficult questions?
Who is going to demand accountability?
And most importantly…

Does anyone actually care?

[sreejesh p r @16Sreejesh]

🇮🇳 “Proud of our past, committed to our future. Jai Hind! Happy Independence Day!”

[sreejesh p r @16Sreejesh]

I'm not against Indian hockey. I'm disappointed because I care.

My hockey knowledge may be limited, and this is just my opinion. (Armchair coaches, you can skip this.)

The last two FIH Pro League seasons have exposed the reality—we finished 8th. If not for Ireland and Pakistan, the standings could have looked even worse.

Don’t tell me that we are trying new players or we are applying new strategy’s 🙃

Yes, we won the Asian Champions Trophy and the Asia Cup. Congratulations to the team. 👏 But let's be honest: those tournaments are no longer the benchmark for judging where Indian hockey stands globally.

Now the usual explanation will be:
"We're focusing on the Asian Games because it's the Olympic qualifier."
That's understandable—but the Pro League table doesn't lie. It showed exactly where we stand against the world's best.

our junior team can beat Pakistan, it also shows the gap between India and the rest of Asia. Winning Asian tournaments is expected. The real challenge is consistently competing with the top teams in the world.
So here's the question:

Are we spending €24,286 ( approximately 25 laks ) a month on a foreign chief coach just to dominate Asian competitions? Or are we investing to become a genuine medal contender at the World Cup, Pro League, and Olympics?

Being satisfied with regional success while struggling against the world's elite shouldn't be the standard for Indian hockey.
Supporting the team doesn't mean staying silent. Real supporters ask tough questions because they want higher standards—not lower expectations.

@TheHockeyIndia @Media_SAI @DGSAI @WeAreTeamIndia @sports_odisha @mansukhmandviya @PMOIndia

[sreejesh p r @16Sreejesh]

Congratulations to the women’s team on winning the Nations Cup and earning promotion to the FIH Pro League. 👏
But should we celebrate qualification, or analyse where we truly stand in world hockey?
Beyond Asian champions trophy success, how often are we challenging other global powers at Asian games, World Cups and Olympics?
Qualification is progress. Consistent podium finishes at the highest level should be the goal.

#hopeforthebest

[sreejesh p r @16Sreejesh]

What a special day for Indian hockey! Congratulations to Manpreet on becoming the highest-capped Indian hockey player. Reaching 413 international matches is a testament to years of hard work, dedication, consistency, and passion for the game. A true legend of Indian hockey, and with the way he's going, 484 is certainly within reach!

The victory over Germany made this special occasion even sweeter. It was a great team performance, with excellent fighting spirit and teamwork throughout.

It was also surprising to see the German side commit so many basic errors, forcing play unnecessarily and relying on too many direct balls into the circle. They looked uncharacteristically disorganised and lacked their usual structure.

[sreejesh p r @16Sreejesh]

Great PC defence from the team, and Suraj was outstanding under the bar. 👏
But conceding 11 PCs is a big concern. We have to be much sharper and more disciplined inside our 25. Ball possession needs to improve, and we must be more clinical in the opposition D.
There’s a lot to work on before the next game. 💪🏑
3-2 vs Holland 🇳🇱,FIH prologue

[sreejesh p r @16Sreejesh]

"The actor who made us laugh, cry, and think is no more. His remarkable performances and unforgettable characters will always remain in our hearts. May his soul rest in peace. My heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, and countless admirers. 🙏🕊️

[sreejesh p r @16Sreejesh]

What a fantastic performance by India's U18 men's and women's hockey teams at the Asia Cup! 🇮🇳🏑
The Asia Cup is a wonderful platform for young players to begin their international careers. Winning gold for the men's team and bronze for the women's team will give these youngsters the confidence to take the next step into the U21 setup and eventually aim for the Junior World Cup.
Congratulations to coaches Sardar Singh and Rani Rampal. Your success is a strong statement that Indian coaches can nurture and develop Indian hockey talent at the highest level.
Wishing these young stars and their coaching staff many more achievements in the future. The future of Indian hockey looks bright! 🇮🇳✨🏑
@TheHockeyIndia @Media_SAI @mansukhmandviya

[sreejesh p r @16Sreejesh]

When the Hockey India president offered me the “development team,” I asked a few simple questions:
Do we really have a development team?
Who are the players in this development group?
What is the structure of the program?
What camps are approved for them?
What tournaments are they preparing for?

There were no answers to any of these questions.

And about goalkeeper coaching… after winning a Junior World Cup bronze medal as chief coach, making me a goalkeeper coach again — is that considered a promotion or a demotion?

4 teams.

6 foreign coaches.
3 foreign strength & conditioning coaches.
1 foreign video analyst.
2 foreign goalkeeper coaches (visiting).
1 foreign sports psychologist (visiting).

Lucky that at least we still have 1 Indian coach in each team 🙏( as per the hockey india app )

Junior team is already taken.

Maybe now it’s time for U18 too.

Sardar Singh and Rani Rampal are doing a great job, but maybe the president feels they are still “not experienced enough” or “qualified enough” to coach Indian teams.

So can we expect more foreign coaches there as well ??

@DilipTirkey @TheHockeyIndia @mansukhmandviya @DGSAI

[sreejesh p r @16Sreejesh]

It’s seems like My coaching career comes to an end after 1.5 years, during which we played 5 tournaments and secured 5 podium finishes, including a Junior World Cup bronze medal.

I have heard about coaches getting fired after bad performances.
But this is the first time I am experiencing being removed to make way for a foreign coach.

The Hockey India President stated that the chief coach of the senior men’s team prefers a foreign head coach for the junior team, believing it will help develop Indian hockey from the junior level through to the senior level. Hence, the continued preference for foreign coaches —

Can’t Indian coaches develop Indian hockey?

On 07-03-2026, during a meeting with the Hon’ble Sports Minister Shri Mansukh Mandaviya, I was told, “Sreejesh, we need coaches like you to step up and lead our country as we prepare for 2036.”

However, Hockey India continues to place its trust in foreign coaches over Indian ones across all four teams.

@mansukhmandviya @PMOIndia @TheHockeyIndia @Media_SAI @WeAreTeamIndia @DGSAI @DilipTirkey

[sreejesh p r @16Sreejesh]

“Let this smile stay forever ❤️
Happy 13th wedding anniversary, Ikkru 🥰
Through every moment, every challenge, and every happiness… grateful to walk this journey together. ❤️”

[sreejesh p r @16Sreejesh]

Thank you for everything Ammachi❤️

#HappyMother’sDay

[sreejesh p r @16Sreejesh]

My vote. My voice. My responsibility. 🇮🇳
Done. Have you?

[sreejesh p r @16Sreejesh]

@NandiniAKumar @SjoerdMarijne @TheHockeyIndia I’m excited to read the 2nd book ….. 💪

[sreejesh p r @16Sreejesh]

The last slide 🇮🇳

#Jaihind

[sreejesh p r @16Sreejesh]

Indian Hockey — 100 years of pride and passion.
Grateful to have played my part in this beautiful journey — first as a player, now as a coach.
The dream remains — taking India back to the top of world hockey. 🇮🇳
Jai hind 🇮🇳

#journey #never #ends

@TheHockeyIndia

[sreejesh p r @16Sreejesh]

ആദരാഞ്ജലികൾ 💐

The man who stood tall between the posts now rests among legends. Thank you for inspiring generations. Rest in peace, legend.

#manuelfrederick

[sreejesh p r @16Sreejesh]

"Congratulations Team for winning the Asia Cup 2025 and securing our berth for the 2026 World Cup! 🏆🇮🇳
This journey reflects the hard work, commitment, and the dominance we have established in Asia. Proud of the boys! 💪🔥"