In what has come as a surprise, the Indian hockey team’s goalkeeper PR Sreejesh has been appointed captain for the Rio Olympics.
Hockey India President Narinder Batra made the announcement on Tuesday afternoon.
Sardar Singh had been the regular captain of the side till now. However, there is a sexual harassment charge against him which could have influenced the governing body’s decision.
Here are some interesting tidbits about Sreejesh:
1. Parattu Raveendran Sreejesh was born on May 8, 1988 and hails from Ernakulam, Kerala.
2. He made his debut in 2006 at the South Asian Games in Colombo with the junior hockey team.
3. He shot into the limelight at the 2008 Junior Asia Cup, where India got the gold. Sreejesh was awarded the title "Goalkeeper of the Tournament".
4. He later stole the show at the inaugural Asian Champions Trophy in China in 2011 where he saved two penalty strokes in the final against Pakistan enabling the team to win. Over the years, he has become the cornerstone of the team standing like a rock in goal and making some excellent saves. His other achievements include the 2014 Asian Games gold in Busan, Korea and the bronze medal in the Hockey World League finals in Raipur.
5. He plays for the UP Wizards in the Hockey India League.
6. In a unique achievement, he is the first hockey player from Kerala to win the Arjuna Award.
7. Sreejesh is married to Aneeshya, a former long jumper and an Ayurveda doctor. They have a daughter Anusree, born in 2014.
8. He is currently employed with Indian Overseas Bank.