CHENNAI: There is something about PR Sreejesh. He is always ebullient, seems at peace with himself and more than anything he is shrouded in an aura of positivity. Always cheerful and articulate, Sreejesh speaks his mind. During a short conversation, he felt that his stint as coach of the junior team had been fantastic. India won the junior men’s Asia Cup title beating Pakistan in the final. The first major outing, in his words, was a ‘good job’.
Sreejesh said that the revival of the Hockey India League was a big step. ”The league is like an international match where top players from across the world play and it is a platform where youngsters can learn and grow,”
Sreejesh said during a Zoom interaction on Friday. He said that like earlier editions, domestic players will benefit from it.
With the HIL set to begin in the last week of December, Sreejesh’s role has changed – coaching to an administrator. Right now he is the Director and mentor of the Delhi SG Pipers team.
The two-time Olympic bronze medal winner with the India hockey team said even this stint too would be interesting. Sreejesh realised that coaching was not easy either.
“Playing was easier than coaching,” he said.
“As a player, you just need to worry about your own business. But now you are the boss of 40 players and another eight staff under you. You are responsible for everything. Then it is a new role. But I am enjoying it. I always say this… on the field, the goalkeepers always act like a coach. You are commanding the defenders or organizing them, communicating with the midfielders and forwards. It has slightly changed now. I used to yell from the back or the goalpost but now I am yelling from the sidelines. Hockey is something which I had known for the last 24 years and teaching that game to the youngsters is something I am enjoying seriously,” Sreejesh mentioned.
It is not always that international players are inducted as coaches just after retirement. Sreejesh is an aberration. The moment he retired after the bronze medal at the Paris Olympics, he was offered the role of a coach for the junior national team.
“It happened unexpectedly,” admitted Sreejesh, adding that he was hoping to take a break for two years and spend some time with the family.
“I just wanted to join the junior team not as a chief coach. I spoke with my family first about this offer from Hockey India. She said we are happy if you take us with you. We can shift to Bangalore because being a coach you get an apartment.”
About his new role as director of the Delhi team, Sreejesh felt that this would give him an opportunity to learn something about sports administration. He said that when Mahesh Bhupathi (CEO of the team) approached him and told him to help build the team he was more than willing to join.
“I have been in the sport for quite a long time and I know who are the best players, so I said yes,” he said.
Sreejesh has given an example of how HIL can help players.
“It is like this. When I step into a new franchisee in HIL, I'm going to be with some of the best foreign players. And I am going to learn everything from him. From the dining hall, what he eats… what are the things he eats before a match… his daily routine on a match day. How he prepares for a match or behaves before, during, and after a match. How he motivates a player when the team continuously loses or how he talks to a player when the team is winning.”
Sreejesh said that HIL helps because every country has its own style.
“India, we got a culture, we do have a style. The Europeans have theirs so do Australians. So you are getting a platform where you can learn.”
The former India goalkeeper also said that playing in front of a good crowd also helps.
“These youngsters who are 18, 17 or 20 and are dreaming about becoming a part of a senior team are getting the experience playing to play in front of a huge crowd,” he said. “I think that is an important part. Pressure management is something that is really important for becoming an elite or mature player.”
Sreejesh felt more than anything else he would want his Delhi team to enjoy their games. “If they enjoy they will play well and win,” he said. Sreejesh said he would be happy if the team finished in the top four.
Watch the Hockey India League from 28th December 2024 onwards at 7:30 PM IST live on Sony Sports Ten 1 SD & HD, Sony Sports Ten 3 SD & HD (Hindi), Sand ony Sports Ten 4 SD & HD (Tamil & Telugu).