PR Sreejesh keeping hopes of podium finish

Rourkela, January 10

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All set to play in his fourth FIH World Cup and the third on home soil, veteran India goalkeeper PR Sreejesh feels his team can do better than the quarterfinals exit in the last edition and even finish on the top of the podium this time.

India topped their pool after winning two matches and drawing one but lost to eventual runners-up Netherlands 1-2 in the quarterfinals of the 2018 edition, which was played at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, one of the two venues for the showpiece event that begins on Friday.

“It is a great honour for me to play my fourth World Cup for our country and the special part is, this is my third World Cup on home soil. I don’t think any player has had this privilege of playing three World Cups at home,” Sreejesh said.

“In 2018, we couldn’t go into semis. Now, we have one more opportunity to change our fortunes at this mega event. Hopefully we can improve our previous performance and finish on top,” he added.

India have not finished on the podium in 48 years since winning gold in the 1975 edition in Kuala Lumpur under the captaincy of Ajit Pal Singh.