On Saturday, India had missed out on a spot in the final after conceding a lone, soft goal early on that sneaked through goalkeeper P.R. Sreejesh’s legs.
The 27-year old had been hit hard on the thigh by a shot from Ramandeep Singh during warm-up and was uncertain to start before running back to take position.
On Sunday, Sreejesh stopped three powerful goalbound shots during the play-off for the bronze medal and then dived around to save three shots during the shootout to help India win its first major world-level medal in more than three decades.
An ice-pack strapped to his thigh, his shoulder held up by tape and a blood clot on his right thumb that pained every time he shook hands, the Kerala boy refused to dwell on his injuries.
“It happens, I don’t care. All I thought about before the game was I had to be there, my team needed me and I can pop any number of painkillers to make sure I turned out today,” he said, shrugging off the injuries.
This was the second big tournament where a medal for India depended on Sreejesh in the shootouts and he delivered again — the previous instance was during the final of the Asian Games last year against Pakistan, which helped India book a Rio berth.
“I don’t think anything during shootouts but just concentrate on the ball,” he said.
