Sreejesh PR, the goalkeeper of the Indian hockey team that won back-to-back Bronze medals at the Tokyo and Paris Olympics, announced his retirement after the latter.

Sreejesh went on to become one of the two Indian flag bearers during the closing ceremony, alongside Manu Bhaker, who won two Bronze medals in shooting in Paris.

In conversation with Manifest, Sreejesh stated how hockey is an emotional sport for Indians and has a nostalgic aspect for the country. Yet, from a business perspective, it has a long way to go.

"Hockey has the reach. People love hockey and it's an emotional sport for Indians. But the game is not equal to a lot of other sports with regards to brand attention. We need to reach there to take advantage of the market. The market is wild and many brands are interested in investing in sports," he said.

Agreeing with the notion that sports require heroes to gain popularity, he stated that through himself and the current team captain Harmanpreet Singh, hockey is on the right path.

"The hero route is how most sports gain popularity. They have been centralised with a couple of players who they want to showcase and want to give more attention towards. Being a it's wonderful goalkeeper, that people are recognising and honouring me today. During my entire life, my face was hidden behind that helmet. With Harman scoring the goals, we both are getting stardom," he said.

"When you look at cricket, heroes have helped it grow for sure. We had Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Virender Sehwag earlier. Now along with Virat Kohli, we have the likes of Shubman Gill emerging. There's an era for everyone. While these players may be the face, through them the sport is getting more attention. That's how we need to sell the game of hockey too," added Sreejesh.

(Read our full chat with him, in our September issue. Click here to buy it now. For subscription options click here.)