Indian Express: I was desperate to get back on the field: PR Sreejesh relieved after comeback
PR Sreejesh missed eight months of action after he suffered a ligament tear in his right knee in May, last year.
India’s trusted hockey goalkeeper, PR Sreejesh, who had been out for most of the key tournaments in 2017 due to a knee injury, said that he was desperate to return to action and wear India’s jersey once again.
Sreejesh had suffered a ligament tear in his right knee in May 2017. The 29-year old, who has not played a competitive match for eight months, has been named in India’s 20-member squad for a four-nation tournament in New Zealand.
In an interview to DNA, Sreejesh said, “It was the toughest phase of my life. I suffered almost a career-ending injury. Getting through the first phase of my injury was tough.”
“I was desperate to get back on the field. I was desperate to get back into the national team. When I got injured, when I did the surgery, I made a promise to myself: I will wear the India jersey again. When I got back to my feet, when I lifted weights for the first time, when I trained for the first time, this promise was always there at the back of my mind. The motto to work hard and get back that India jersey never died in me,” Sreejesh said.
“This was a period in which I had to show myself how tough I am. I needed this to prove to myself more than anybody else,” he added.
India will compete with Belgium, Japan and hosts New Zealand at Tauranga and Hamilton in the tournament, beginning January 17.