Inspired By Rahul Dravid, PR Sreejesh Wants To Coach Juniors Before Senior Hockey Team

PR Sreejesh was inspired by Rahul Dravid's coaching philosophy and wanted to venture into junior team coaching before becoming the coach of the senior men's hockey team.

PR Sreejesh, India's legendary goalkeeper who retired from international sport after starring in the team's bronze medal win over Spain in Paris Olympics 2024, has revealed that he wants to venture into coaching now that he has hung up his playing boots. Sreejesh admitted that he loved former head coach of the Indian men's cricket team Rahul Dravid's way of functioning in a coaching role and would like to mentor the junior players before going on to become the national head coach.

Notably, Dravid started his major coaching stint with India U-19 side before going on to coach the India A team and lastly the senior Indian men's cricket team. During his stint as the head coach of the senior men's team, Team India played the World Test Championship final, the ODI World Cup final as well as the T20 World Cup 2024 final, winning the last of the three- a match that ended his coaching contract on a high.

READ HERE | PT Usha Reveals Neeraj Chopra's Grand Gesture For PR Sreejesh Ahead Of Paris Olympics Closing Ceremony

I Want To Become A Coach: PR Sreejesh

Meanwhile, Sreejesh announced that although he was sure of getting into coaching, now that his playing career is over, he didn't know when he would start.

"I want to become a coach. That was always my plan but now there is a question of when. After retirement, family comes first. I need to talk with them if they are OK with this. Now you have to listen to your wife a little bit," Sreejesh told news agency PTI in New Delhi.

"The way I wanted is start with the juniors, and Rahul Dravid is an example. It's like you develop a bunch of players, get them into the senior team and let them follow you," the star goalkeeper who saved 9 penalty corners in the Paris Olympics bronze medal match said.

"I start this year, next in 2025, we have the junior World Cup and in another two years, the senior team will be playing the World Cup. So may be, by 2028, I can produce 20 or 40 players and by 2029, I can have 15-20 players into the senior team and by 2030 almost like 30-35 players in the senior side.

"And 2032, I will be ready for the chief coach's position. If India gets to host the 2036 Olympic Games, I want to be the India coach," Sreejesh said.

Sreejesh was also part of the bronze-medal winning hockey team in Tokyo 2020.