With maiden title under the belt, Sreejesh takes baby steps on the learning curve as a coach

File photo of former Indian goal-keeper and India junior hockey team coach P.R. Sreejesh.
| Photo Credit: The Hindu

Having earned his maiden call-up to the national camp in 2004 for the Junior Asia Cup, India’s recent triumph at the tournament with him as coach holds special value for PR Sreejesh. That it is his maiden title in his new role made it more special.

“This tournament was my entry to the national set-up so yes it is special to win it as my maiden title. But for the team, it is a big milestone. It was a dream and they achieved it but more importantly, it will be the start of bigger dreams — Asian Games, Asia Cup, World Cup, Olympics — and the confidence that they can do well on bigger stages.

“But it was also a platform for them to realise that the Junior World Cup next year won’t be easy. We scored a lot of goals but to be honest, this was not an easy tournament. Games against Japan, Malaysia and Pakistan told us that, at this level, all teams are equal, there are no favourites,” Sreejesh told The Hindu a day after the team returned from Oman.

Having finished third at the Sultan of Johor Cup, the two outings have given Sreejesh enough insights into a coach’s job. They have also given him an opportunity to explain the difference in importance of various competitions.

“Johor for me was a welcome tournament, a chance to understand and analyse my players — where they stand under pressure, what they do against big opposition teams. We finished 3rd and missed the final on goal difference but honestly, for me, being in the top-four was good enough at that time.

But JAC is very different — it comes with pressure and a JWC quota. It will be the same situation in a couple of years for the boys when they play the Asia Cup or Asian Games with direct qualification at stake. 

“It was also important for us because we didn’t want to go into JWC as a quota team (as host) but claim our place on merit as a matter of right. On the other hand, we beat New Zealand and England at Johor and that automatically translated into greater confidence against Asian teams. But the boys now know themselves that in terms of hockey, we have to get better in every department – fitness, basics, PC variations — and that will be the focus for the next one year. They know that if they play at the same level in JWC, it will be difficult to finish among medals,” he admitted. The Indian men have finished fourth in the last two editions of JWC after winning the title in 2016 at home. 

He is learning his own lessons as well, the most important being to stop thinking like a player. “Your thinking pattern has to change. I have always been aggressive while playing so now I write down in my notebook that remind me that I am not a player any more and need to control my aggression. Secondly, the importance of planning, doing things in training that can happen during games. Third, more focus on the basics — stuff like ball speed and control, passing — rather than system, strategy etc.

“Four, I know how psychology works with players but now I need to learn how to apply that to these guys, know what works and what doesn’t with them. Lastly, get to know more on strength and conditioning — as a goalkeeper, my training schedule was different from others. Now I need to read up, talk to foreign coaches and stay updated on the latest. It’s baby steps for me and I am learning my way around and intend to keep doing it to build a good team for JWC,” he signed off.