Quotes from P. R. Sreejesh

So being a senior player, being a goalkeeper, being a team member, I think saving the ball is my first main priority.

Well, I come from a poor family. My father is a farmer. When I started playing, I wasn't privileged enough to afford hockey pads and a kit, that was out of my reach.

Olympics is a place where you can be easily distracted to a lot of things and it will seem like a magic world.

A match against Pakistan is never an easy prospect - especially for goalkeepers in a penalty shootout. We can either become heroes or zeroes.

I think it's important for me to share my experiences with the younger players and give them feedback on their performances.

Psychology is not a place where you get results overnight.

Goalkeepers are like wine, the longer you keep it, the better it tastes.

We are better placed than Pakistan as we have been playing against top teams around the world. Pakistan on the other hand failed to qualify for the Olympics for the first time in their history.

When I was young, I didn't know who India's goalkeeper was then.

When you are in the field you just need to give your best, it doesn't matter whether you are the lone goalkeeper or not.

Being a father brings with it a lot of responsibilities, just like being a goalkeeper does.

The best part of a goalkeeper is that when you are the second choice you get to gain a lot of experience by sitting outside and watching.

There's a difference between a young goalkeeper and an experienced goalkeeper. In a pressure situation, an experienced goalkeeper can handle the situation in a calm manner.

Before the injury hockey was everything in my life. Now I know even if I am out of hockey, there are other important things in life. I am confident, calmer and wiser now.

Being in the thick of things is a good thing.

Now if I go back home with an Olympic medal, the reaction of my family will give me immense satisfaction.

My role is just about sharing my experiences with the younger guys in the team. It is just like how parents guide their kids or a teacher guides his students.

We have a very good history in hockey and when I look back into my own career, I know I do have a lot of FIH medals, I have medals almost in every tournament but not one in World Cup or Olympics.

It's difficult to love a goalkeeper. He is invisible, and is only in the limelight when he makes a blunder.

The vamp, or the front of our shoes has to be a bit hard for the extra support because often during a save, our toe can end up jutting outside our leg guard.

All the participating countires in Tokyo 2020 were good, but this time we worked really hard and had the confidence that we can achieve it in Tokyo.

I had to teach myself to walk and run again during rehabilitation.

The first few years were quite hard for me. It took time for me to understand what exactly is international hockey.

No matter who the captain is, on the hockey pitch it's the goalkeeper who is leading the side because we have the best view of the field.