PR Sreejesh publicly questioned Hockey India’s continued reliance on foreign coaches after revealing that his stint with the Indian junior men’s hockey team has come to an end. In a strongly-worded social media statement on Tuesday, the Indian hockey legend claimed he was removed despite delivering consistent success and alleged that the federation preferred appointing a foreign coach for the junior setup.
Sreejesh, who had been seen as one of the brightest long-term Indian coaching prospects after his retirement, expressed frustration over the manner in which his tenure ended after just one and a half years in charge.
“It seems like my coaching career comes to an end after 1.5 years, during which we played five tournaments and secured five podium finishes, including a Junior World Cup bronze medal,” Sreejesh wrote.
The former India goalkeeper then made the explosive claim that he had effectively been replaced to make way for a foreign coach, something he said he had never experienced before.
“I have heard about coaches getting fired after bad performances. But this is the first time I am experiencing being removed to make way for a foreign coach,” he added.
Sreejesh also claimed that the reasoning behind the move was linked to the preference of the current senior men’s team setup.
“The Hockey India President stated that the chief coach of the senior men’s team prefers a foreign head coach for the junior team, believing it will help develop Indian hockey from the junior level through to the senior level,” Sreejesh said.
The statement quickly triggered debate across Indian hockey circles, especially because Sreejesh is not only one of India’s most decorated hockey players but also someone many believed could eventually become one of the faces of India’s coaching future.
During his brief stint with the junior side, Sreejesh guided India to impressive results, including a gold medal at the Men’s Junior Asia Cup, bronze at the Sultan of Johor Cup and another bronze at the FIH Junior Men’s World Cup.
Given both his success and stature within Indian hockey, the sudden nature of the development has raised fresh questions around Hockey India’s long-term approach towards developing Indian coaches at elite levels.
SREEJESH SLAMS HOCKEY INDIA’S FOREIGN COACH CRAZE
The sharpest part of Sreejesh’s statement came when he openly questioned why Indian hockey continues to rely so heavily on foreign coaches despite the presence of accomplished former players within the country’s own system.
“Can’t Indian coaches develop Indian hockey?” Sreejesh asked directly in his statement.
That one line alone has already become the centre of the larger conversation surrounding his exit.
Sreejesh also revealed that earlier this year he had personally received encouragement from Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya to continue taking up bigger coaching responsibilities as India prepares for the 2036 Olympic cycle.
“On 07-03-2026, during a meeting with the Hon’ble Sports Minister Shri Mansukh Mandaviya, I was told, ‘Sreejesh, we need coaches like you to step up and lead our country as we prepare for 2036,’” he wrote.
However, he contrasted that support with what he described as Hockey India’s current approach.
“However, Hockey India continues to place its trust in foreign coaches over Indian ones across all four teams,” Sreejesh added.
The comments have now intensified an old debate within Indian hockey about whether former Indian greats are being given enough trust and opportunities in coaching pathways compared to overseas appointments.
WHAT PR SREEJESH WON AS JUNIOR INDIA COACH
What makes the development even more surprising is that Sreejesh’s tenure with the junior side had largely been viewed as successful from both a results and development perspective.
In just 1.5 years as head coach of the Indian junior men’s hockey team, Sreejesh helped the side secure podium finishes in all five tournaments they played.
That included:
- Gold medal at the Men’s Junior Asia Cup
- Bronze medal at the Sultan of Johor Cup
- Bronze medal at the FIH Junior Men’s World Cup
Beyond the medals themselves, many within Indian hockey had praised Sreejesh’s ability to connect with younger players, especially because of how recently he himself had operated at the highest level of international hockey.
Widely regarded as one of the greatest goalkeepers in Indian hockey history, Sreejesh played a major role in India’s resurgence over the last decade, including multiple Olympic medal-winning campaigns and several landmark international performances.
Following his retirement, his move into coaching had been viewed as a major boost for Indian hockey’s future structure.
Which is exactly why his sudden exit and the claims made in his statement are likely to spark a much larger conversation about how Indian hockey wants to shape its coaching identity going forward.
– Ends
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