Goalkeepers are like wine: Sreejesh

Indian hockey star P R Sreejesh feels that goalkeepers are like wine which gets tastier if kept longer, reflecting on his illustrious career from warming the bench to becoming one of the best in the world.

Sreejesh, a former captain, said the setbacks in the early part of his career taught him lessons to take failures as stepping stones to success.

"The first few years were quite hard for me. It took time for me to understand what exactly is international hockey. With time the game has changed, the game has got faster, so every tournament teaches you something," Sreejesh told PTI in an interview.

"When I started my career I used to concede a lot of goals but still every one had faith in me, they kept motivating me. 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. I am very much grateful to my seniors for their advises and suggestions," he said.

"And this is where I am today after overcoming all the obstacles. Goalkeepers are like wine, the longer you keep it, the better it tastes."
"If you take it from 2008 till 2016, the low point for Indian hockey was 2008 when we failed to qualify. In 2012, we finished last, and in 2016 we finished eighth. I feel this time we will improve and prove ourselves."