The former India captain criticised the team’s World Cup campaign and questioned whether enough is being done to challenge the world’s best…reports Asian Lite News Desk
Former India hockey captain PR Sreejesh has questioned the lack of accountability surrounding the men’s team after India crashed out of the 2026 FIH Hockey World Cup without reaching the semifinals.
India’s campaign in Amstelveen ended on Monday with a 3-5 defeat to Argentina, their second successive loss in Stage 2. They had earlier suffered a 1-3 defeat against the Netherlands, leaving them without a win in the decisive stage and ending their hopes of advancing to the last four.
Sreejesh, one of India’s most prominent former goalkeepers, criticised both the team’s performance and the approach of Hockey India’s administrators. In a strongly worded post on X, formerly Twitter, he questioned whether the Asian Games would now be used to shift attention away from the World Cup disappointment.
“Don’t worry… the World Cup doesn’t matter. The Asian Games are coming. Win a medal there, and then we can start dreaming about LA 2028. Apparently, that’s enough to cover everything that went wrong at the World Cup,” Sreejesh wrote.
His comments came after India failed to put up a sustained challenge against two of the world’s leading hockey teams. The defeat to Argentina followed the loss to the Netherlands and marked another disappointing World Cup campaign for the men’s side, which again failed to secure a medal.
Sreejesh also compared the men’s campaign with the performance of India’s women’s team, praising the players while questioning the circumstances surrounding their preparations.
The women’s team performed strongly despite head coach Sjoerd Marijne leaving the camp for a holiday ahead of the tournament.
“Women’s chief coach on holiday just before the World Cup — and the girls still fought their hearts out and exceeded expectations. Credit to the players. But where is the accountability?” Sreejesh wrote.
He questioned whether a team could reasonably be expected to perform at its best when its chief coach was absent during the final stage of preparations.
Sreejesh, who was recently removed as head coach of India’s junior men’s team, also criticised what he described as a recurring pattern of explanations following disappointing results.
“Men’s team loses to a top team → ‘It’s a learning experience.’ Beats an Asian team → ‘Great victory.’ Plays good hockey → ‘Good performance,’” he wrote.
The former captain argued that Indian hockey should focus not merely on playing attractive or competitive hockey but on developing a side capable of defeating the world’s strongest teams on the biggest stage.
“But here’s the uncomfortable question: Are we building a team to PLAY good hockey, or a team capable of WINNING against the best in the world?” he asked.
Sreejesh also urged stakeholders to stop treating major tournaments as preparation for future events.
“Stop hiding behind ‘learning’, ‘good hockey’ and future tournaments. The World Cup is not a rehearsal. It is the World Cup,” he said.
India’s early exit adds pressure on the team management and administrators ahead of the Asian Games, which will carry significant importance in the country’s qualification pathway towards the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Concluding his post, Sreejesh called for greater scrutiny of the team’s performance and preparations.
“So who is going to ask the difficult questions? Who is going to demand accountability? And most importantly… Does anyone actually care?” he wrote.
His remarks are likely to intensify the debate over India’s preparation, coaching structure and expectations as the team looks to recover from another disappointing World Cup campaign.
