Hockey India , PR Sreejesh Statement : If there is one change that PR Sreejesh would like to see in the Indian hockey team, it would be to reduce the reliance on penalty corners for goals and he believes that to win an Olympic medal every time, the team must score more field goals. India scored 15 goals and conceded 12 in their quest to win their second consecutive Olympic bronze medal at the Paris Olympics. Of these 15 goals, nine were from penalty corners, three from penalty strokes and only three were field goals.

The great goalkeeper, who retired from hockey after the Paris Olympics, told editors at PTI headquarters, "Most of the time when forwards go into the circle, they aim to make penalty corners because our penalty corners are good. I am not saying that forwards do not try to score goals." Olympic gold medallists in the Netherlands scored 14 field goals and silver medallists in Germany scored 15 field goals while fourth-placed Spain scored 10 field goals.

A penalty corner is awarded when a mistake is made inside the striking circle, even if it is not to stop a move intended to score a goal. Sreejesh said, "If we have a golden opportunity to score a goal on a penalty corner, then we should not miss it. But if we want to take the Indian hockey team to the next level and win Olympic medals consistently, then we will have to score more field goals because defense also has its limitations."

He said, "I shouldn't say it but we are not Germany that can save a goal for 60 minutes. Their strategy and style are different from ours. We made mistakes and conceded some goals but our forwards have to score more goals so that the burden on the defense is reduced." With two Olympic bronzes, two Asian Games gold and one bronze, two Champions Trophy titles, and two Commonwealth Games silvers, Sreejesh has become a legend of Indian hockey whose name is now taken along with Major Dhyanchand, Balbir Singh Senior, Dhanraj Pillai.

Sreejesh said, "It is not easy to be in that league. When you become a senior and are in the limelight, the responsibility also increases. The responsibility towards the junior players also increases. You become a mediator between the players and the coaching staff. You become the spokesperson of the team and the ambassador of the country and in such a situation you have to set an example."