THE JHARKHAND STORY DESK
New Delhi, August 14: Hockey India decided on Wednesday to retire the jersey number of veteran goalkeeper P R Sreejesh at the senior level after he retired from the sport, having played a key role in the country’s back-to-back Olympic bronze, most recently at the Paris Games.
Hockey India Secretary General Bhola Nath Singh stated that moving forward, the number 16 jersey will not be assigned to any senior team player, though it will continue to be used at the junior level.
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He further announced that Sreejesh after a nearly two-decade-long career, will now assume the position of junior national coach.
He said that the number 16 jersey has been retired for the senior team, but not for the junior team. He mentioned that Sreejesh will train a player like himself in the junior team who will wear the number 16 jersey.
As a tribute to the veteran from Kerala, the players attending the ceremony donned identical red jerseys with Sreejesh’s name on the back.