New Indian Express: Injury nightmare over, Sreejesh geared up for comeback in 2018

By Swaroop Swaminathan

BENGALURU: There is a reason why athletes hate the letters ACL when written together. The knee is one of the most important parts of the human anatomy, more so for sportspersons involved in contact sports. While advancements in medicine have meant an Anterior Cruciate Ligament injury is no longer a career-ender (it was considered to be one in the 1990s), people are still wary of it.

That was the main rationale behind the hockey fraternity developing a collective fit when custodian PR Sreejesh suffered an ACL injury at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh on May 2 against Australia. After undergoing surgery in late June in Mumbai, the 29-year-old ramped up his rehabilitation process over the last few weeks. He is back at the camp in Bengaluru and Express caught up with him to understand more about his rehab process. Excerpts..

On the break from sport

Injuries always teaches lessons. When I think hockey, it’s (injury) definitely a disappointing thing. But when I think about Sreejesh as a person, the past four months or so have been one of the best moments. I learned about ACL, what it is and the recovery process that goes into it. I am feeling like I have been reborn. When I started walking initially (with crutches), I couldn’t even walk properly. During that period, I was in bed and my mom used to bring everything to me. I was like: ‘Wow, I am getting treated like this’. When I started walking (without crutches), I felt bad. That’s when I realised: ‘Okay, Sreejesh, now you have to do everything from A to Z’.

On being there for the birth of the second child

That was the best. I took care of my baby. When I became a father the first time, I saw her for the first three days. The next I saw her she was three months old. So I could not catch the growing up process. This time I got an opportunity to enjoy that.

On what happens between now and next April

I am zero now. I am not the old Sreejesh at this point. I need to start from scratch — how you pad up, how you run with the pads, how you work with them. Apart from that, I need to start skill-based workouts in my circle. There is off the ball training, ball-eye coordination exercises. When I get on the field as a goalkeeper you don’t want to concede too many goals, even in training. If I do concede many, my confidence will go down. Between now and April, it’s all going to be hard work. That’s the only way I get back to being Sreejesh.

On what stage of rehab process currently

My next 3-4 months will solely be focussed on the above-mentioned things. Right now, I have started walking without crutches. I am padding up and getting a basic feel of the field. I am also standing between the goalposts and seeing all the angles again. I am visualising what is happening.

On seeing hockey in a new light

The best part of the injury is you don’t think too much about hockey. If you do, it might lead you into a negative space. So it’s always better to stay away from it. Think about your broken leg, take care of that and enjoy the other stuff. I am obviously disappointed with the performance but you cannot change that. It’s better to keep yourself fresh for the next performance. I was not bothered too much about the team, I was worried about myself.

On off-field developments

Everything happens for a good reason, right? I have been here from 2008 so I have seen four or five coaches now. I am a firm believer that changes happen for a good reason. It’s up to you to decide what you want. There are two phases in life, positive and negative. If you want to cry, you can look at the negatives and cry. If you want to smile, you can look at the positives and smile. So I would like to look at the positives. I think it’s going to be good.