Bangalore: India hockey captain PR Sreejesh may be disappointed for not winning the Champions Trophy losing to Australia in the final, but insisted that the boys took the performance to next level and it will help them to do well in the Jakarta Asian Games and men’s hockey World Cup at home.
India were beaten 1-3 by Australia in the shootout after score remained 1-1 at the end of regulation time. It was second consecutive silver medal for India in the tournament the last one in 2016 against the same opponents.
“We did extremely well, especially after the team lost striker Ramandeep Singh, who sustained an injury. Boys took the performance to next level and definitely this will help us to do well in Asian Games and World Cup,” Sreejesh told this agency Tuesday.
The 30-year-old shot-stopper, who stood out under the bar throughout the tournament, said the Indian players had it in them to prevail over Australia. “I was disappointed for not winning the gold in the Champions Trophy because we anticipated meeting Australia in finals. We did meet them, but could not do well in shootout,” Sreejesh added. He also informed that the team will assemble after a five-day break to chart out strategies and plans for the Asian Games.
Our boys took the performance to next level and it will definitely help us to do well in Asiad and World Cup
PR Sreejesh
Talking about his own performance in the tournament, Sreejesh said, it was a challenge to recover from injury and perform. “I worked really very hard to become match fit and worked on certain aspects of the game. All these could not have happened without team support. Our defence really stood out,” he said.
Sreejesh also praised coach Harendra Singh for motivating the players so well. “Harendra knows the boys really well. The best part of him is, he really motivates and pumps up players. He is gifted with using right words just before players walk onto the field,” Sreejesh said.