Replacement of PR Sreejesh in Indian Hockey Team: Indian hockey veteran goalkeeper PR Sreejesh has retired from the national team after a brilliant performance at the Paris Olympics 2024. 36-year-old Sreejesh has played 336 international matches for Indian hockey in his 18-year career. He made the team proud by winning bronze medals in two consecutive Olympic Games. Now after his retirement, the biggest question is who will take charge of the goalpost of the Indian team. Let’s take a look at the three potential goalkeepers who can replace Sreejesh.
Sun Karkera
Suraj Karkera has been a part of the national team for the last seven years, but he has played only 43 matches so far. Suraj, who was part of the team that won the gold medal in the 2017 Asia Cup, has proved his goalkeeping prowess. He was part of the Indian team in the recently held Hockey 5s World Cup in Oman. He also represented the team in the 2018 Commonwealth Games. Now Suraj’s goal is to make a comeback in the national team and secure his place.
pawan malik
Pawan Malik is one of the emerging goalkeepers of Indian hockey. He made his debut in the FIH Pro League in Rourkela last year and his first innings impressed the audience. He also represented the Indian team in the FIH Junior World Cup held in Bhubaneswar in 2021. Pawan has gradually improved his game and is now all set to cement his place in the national team.
Krishna B Pathak
Krishna Pathak is the current most experienced goalkeeper of the Indian team. Krishna, who made his international debut in 2018, has played 125 international matches so far. He has proved his worth by winning medals in two Asian Games. While playing in the FIH Pro League with Sreejesh, he has taken over the responsibility of goalkeeping in different quarters. With international experience, Krishna is currently considered the strongest candidate for the responsibility of Indian goalkeeping.
One of these three goalkeepers is in the race to become the new goalkeeper of the Indian hockey team. However, finding an experienced and talented goalkeeper like Sreejesh will not be easy.
Also read:
The dream of becoming a cricketer remained unfulfilled, now Arshad Nadeem will make a splash with the Pakistan team
