November 14, 2019

Creating scoreboard pressure on rivals will be crucial during Olympics: Sreejesh

Ace hockey goalkeeper PR Sreejesh says creating scoreboard pressure will be key to India's campaign at the Olympics and improvement in this area is a must in lead up to the Tokyo Games. India qualified for next year's Olympics after beating Russia 11-3 on aggregate in Bhubaneswar in the FIH Qualifiers earlier this month.
Sreejesh, regarded one of the best goalkeepers in the world, is expected to man the Indian goal in Tokyo. "The Olympic qualifier is history now and we now need to look forward. In Olympics we are going to get high-intensity matches. We are looking forward to playing against all top teams," Sreejesh said.
"With just nine months left, we need to look at all areas -- penalty corner conversions, attack and defence. We will have to work on creating more scoreboard pressure on our opponents in Olympics," he added. He also said that playing against top teams during the upcoming FIH Pro League will be an ideal preparation for India ahead of Olympics.
After opting out of maiden season last year, India will make its debut at the FIH Pro League against the Netherlands in a home fixture on January 18 and 19. India will host their first six matches. After facing the Dutch, they will take on Belgium on February 8-9 followed by matches against defending champions and world No. 1 Australia on February 22-23.
"Pro League is replica of the Olympics according to me. Every match will be intense, every match will be of Olympic standard. In Pro League we will get the opportunity to handle pressure against top teams which will be beneficial for us in the Olympics," Sreejesh said during the launch of leading Australian performance nutrition brand Musashi here through their Indian partner Smart Brands. Nine teams, both and men women, will part of the league.