Shamsher Singh Calls India's Bronze Medal Win At Paris Olympics A "Farewell Gift" For PR Sreejesh

Indian midfielder Shamsher Singh, who is currently co-captaining Delhi SG Pipers in the ongoing Hockey India League that India's bronze medal at the Paris Olympics was farewell gift to the legendary PR Sreejesh. With their third-place finish in the Paris Olympics, the Harmanpreet Singh-led men's team proved that the historic bronze in the Tokyo Games three years ago was not a flash in the pan. The Indian team, who was having a flawless campaign in the group stage with only loss, faced a shocking defeat against Germany in the semi-finals.

However, the Indians showed their true mettle and bounced back in the third place against Spain and clinched the bronze medal.

The medal ensured the legendary PR Sreejesh, one of the team's biggest pillars for nearly two decades, got the send-off he deserved after he decided to retire from the sport.

Speaking to NDTV, Indian midfielder Shamsher Singh revealed that even before starting the campaign in Paris, the team had decided to get a medal for Sreejesh.

"Sreejesh Bhai (brother) is a legend and everyone saw what he did for India at the Paris Olympics. Even before the beginning of our campaign in Paris, we had decided that we will dedicating our medal to Sreejesh. He gave so many years of life to Indian hockey and fortunately we were able to give him a memorable farewell gift," Shamsher told NDTV.

"His absence will always be felt but the important factor is that who will be replacing him. We have faith in Krishan Pathak and Suraj Karkera, who have replaced Sreejesh in our team. Both the players have shared field with Sreejesh and our very experienced, so, that's a good thing for our team.

Shamsher is currently leading Delhi SG Pipers in the ongoing Hockey India League in Rourkela,