ACT 2023: India captain Harmanpreet Singh praises coach Craig Fulton for structural changes to side

India skipper Harmanpreet Singh heaped praise on coach Craig Fulton for the structural changes he has made to the side after they reached the final of the Asian Champions Trophy 2023 on Friday.

Fulton took over as the head coach after Graham Reid stepped down following India’s poor World Cup 2023 campaign. The coach has been able to mastermind a spectacular run in the ACT 2023 for India as they have been unbeaten throughout the tournament and thrashed Japan 5-0 in the semi-final on Friday.

Asian Champions Trophy 2023 final: Preview

Skipper Harmanpreet was one of the goalscorers on the night and he praised Fulton after the match. Speaking to the reporters, as quoted by PTI, the defender said that the coach has been doing a great job for the side and hailed him for the structural changes brought in to the side.

“Every 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 Friday. “He 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 him.”

Harmanpreet added that staying resolute in defence and converting the chances that come their will be of key importance for India in the final against Malaysia, who they had beaten 5-0 during the pool stages of the competition.

“It’s 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 plans.”

“(On Saturday), our focus would be to stay strong defensively and convert most of our chances,” said Harmanpreet.