Former star Sreejesh urges India to embrace World Cup pressure

NEW DELHI: Former India goalkeeper PR Sreejesh has urged the national team to trust its preparation and avoid allowing the pressure of the Hockey World Cup to affect its performance.

The World Cup will be jointly hosted by Amstelveen in the Netherlands and Wavre in Belgium from Aug. 15-30. India’s men’s team, led by captain Harmanpreet Singh, will open its campaign against Wales on Aug. 15 before facing England and Pakistan.

India, which won Olympic bronze at Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024, is seeking its first World Cup podium finish since winning the title in 1975.

“The World Cup is the second biggest tournament in hockey after the Olympics and naturally the whole world is watching,” Sreejesh told JioStar.

“But you cannot let that pressure affect your game. The key is to stay calm, focus on your role and trust your training,” added the 38-year-old, who featured in both of India’s recent Olympic bronze-winning campaigns.

India’s men’s team is in Pool D and will face Wales, England and Pakistan in the group stage.

Despite India’s eighth-place finish in the nine-team FIH Pro League, Sreejesh believes the squad has the quality to challenge for a place in the semi-finals.

“In my opinion, a top-four finish is the minimum we should aim for,” he said. “We have the quality and depth to achieve that.”

Sreejesh added that a medal would be a bonus but urged the team to set its ambitions high.