P R Sreejesh completes 150th International Caps for India at FIH Champions Trophy

London, 11^th June 2016: Parattu Raveendran Sreejesh who made his Junior National team debut in 2004 in a match against Australia at Perth, today completed his 150^th International Caps for India. The 28-year-old star goalkeeper has earned a lot to his credit.

Sreejesh rose to fame in 2008 Junior Asia Cup, as he made some remarkable saves to help the Indian national team clinch the Gold medal by beating Korea in the finals. Sreejesh was awarded his first ‘Goalkeeper of the Tournament’ award at the international stage.

In 2013 Asia Cup, he was adjudged as the ‘Goalkeeper of the Tournament’ for the second time in his senior team career, following Indian team’s impressive 2nd place finish. Sreejesh was also part of the team that won the Silver medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

The main highlight of his career came in the year 2014 when the Indian team went to Incheon, Korea to participate in the Asian Games. Due to Sreejesh’s heroics in the penalty shoot-out, the Indian national team went on to beat their arch-rivals Pakistan in the final to clinch the Gold medal and became the first team to seal the spot for the 2016 Rio Olympics.

He is the first hockey player from Kerala to receive the Arjuna Award after he was recommended for the prestigious award by a 12-member selection committee in 2015. Sreejesh made his debut in the Senior National Team in 2006 at the South Asian Games in Colombo.

Sreejesh took the field at the 2015 Hockey World League semis played in Raipur, India. He put forth his best performance to date against the Dutch side in the significant Bronze medal clash, where the Indian side emerged victorious and helped India secure a medal after a gap of 33-years at an FIH Major Tournament

Owing to the impressive run with the Uttar Pradesh Wizards in 2015, Sreejesh was retained by the UP-based franchise Uttar Pradesh Wizards for the recently concluded 2016 Coal India Hockey India League. The Wizards paid a gigantic amount of US $60,000, making him the most expensive Indian goalkeeper at the Hockey India League

For his passion for the sport and immense contribution, P R Sreejesh was awarded the Player of the Year Award at the Hockey India 2nd Annual Awards ceremony held at Bengaluru earlier this year.

Currently, Sreejesh is leading the team as Captain at the FIH Champions Trophy, London.

Md. Mushtaque Ahmad, Secretary General, Hockey India, congratulated P R Sreejesh on his 150^th international appearance. “Sreejesh is a star performer. He is among the seasoned players of the team and has always made the country proud. Undeniably, his contribution and love towards the sport is immense. My heartiest wishes go to him for all his future games and hope he continues to shine for India.”

India take on Great Britain in their second Pool encounter on June 11, at 20:30 IST.

The FIH Champions Trophy is broadcast Live on Star Sports 2 and HD 2.

Live Streaming is available at www.starsports.com