Coach Craig Fulton only imparts lessons in training, not from sidelines

India head coach Craig Fulton is against giving instructions to the players from the sidelines adding that he prefers imparting lessons during trainingAn upbeat India thrashed Japan 50 in the lastfour clash to set up a title showdown of the Asian Champions Trophy with MalaysiaFollowing the huge win Fulton said I dont do a lot of coaching from the sidelines but during training Thats where the ideas are installed Maybe there are a few things that have to change during the match but its up to the senior players to take a callIndia skipper Harmanpreet Singh too was all praise for Fulton for bringing in structural changes to the sideEvery coach has a different mentality Our past coaches have been good Even he Fulton is good Every coach thinks about the betterment of the team said Harmanpreet after the match on FridayHe is doing a good job While we have brought in structural changes in our team managing it changes at such a short notice is a highly positive point for us All credit to himAlso Read Playing Asian Champions Trophy on Poligras turf will help teams at Paris Olympics Krishan Bahadur PathakHarmanpreet added that staying strong defensively and converting opportunities would be the key to success in the finalIts a great achievement to make it to the final which would be completely different compared to league matches It was a good performance on Friday as we played according to our plans We even created our opportunities as per the plansOn Saturday our focus would be to stay strong defensively and convert most of our chances he addedMandeep Singh and Vivek Sagar Prasad work in tandem on several occasions against Japan and Fulton called them the engine room of the sideIts a nice mix They have played a lot of hockey together So when they are in full flow they play free and they have the right focus that can open up our positions They were all good today They were the engine room which was nice to see he saidVeteran India goalkeeper PR Sreejesh who earned his 300th international cap in the match against Japan said at times he has to guide and instruct his players on the field as he has the best view of the rival teams placementI always believe that goalkeeper is more of a coach because Im the only one standing behind and watching the entire gameWhen we are sitting in a team meeting the instructions come and strategies play But sometimes the players find it hard in executing them So its my responsibility to guide them said the 35yearold stalwartBefore the semifinal on Friday Sreejesh was felicitated by Hockey India He credited the team for helping him achieve the 300match landmark in international hockeyWhat I am and where I am today is definitely because of the team So I wanted to thank them for supporting me or helping me when I need them Its all because of themAsked how he motivates the youngsters in the team he said I always keep telling the boys that if you have to achieve your dream you have to go through sacrifices and need to bring in discipline Stay focused on your goals and continue doing the hard workWhen you are high dont get too excited When you are low dont get too disheartened Be neutral and it will prolong your career For goalkeepers if they are young they mostly sit out They get to see more matches from the sidelines and learn a lotMaybe thats the reason I have achieved my 300 caps now Remember the dialogue Goalkeepers are like wine The more they age the better they become he addedSreejesh also asserted that the Indian goalkeeping department is in good hands and that decent goalkeepers are on the wayGood goalkeepers are incoming Krishan Pathak is getting really well Pawan Malik is there with us Suraj Karkera is also there We have a good keepers pool at the junior levelGoalkeeping is a responsible job and once you concede goals you should know how to handle that pressure and situation and how to manage it Experience is going to help you with that while I also believe the goalkeeping is in good hands now