India, May 13 -- During his long playing career, highlighted by the back-to-back bronze medals achieved by the Indian hockey team, PR Sreejesh was the keeper of the team's hopes. Hockey India's (HI) acknowledgement of the legendary status he had achieved showed in two actions. It retired his No.16 jersey amid fanfare in August 2024, and appointed him chief coach of the Indian junior men's team to tap into the freshly retired player's wisdom in the modern game.

Twenty-one months later, all that goodwill has come crashing down. In a strongly worded social media post on Wednesday, Sreejesh announced that his contract as junior coach has not been renewed. This, he said, was despite the team finishing on the podium under him many times and to...