India not only team to suffer from inconsistency: Coach Roelant Oltmans

Caption

The Indian senior men hockey team’s bronze medal performance at the Hockey World League finals was just what the doctor ordered, especially with just over seven months remaining for the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Not many would have expected the Indian team to attain a podium finish given the presence of formidable opponents like Australia, Netherlands, Germany, Great Britain and Belgium.

The achievement was all the more brilliant considering that the team won a medal in a FIH tournament after a 33-year dry spell.

But the Roelant Oltmans-coached Indian side have perhaps exceeded their own expectations with their fighting bronze medal performance at the Hockey World League Final Round in Raipur. “Our aim to finish in the top four and we finished with a bronze, couldn’t have asked for more,” says head coach Oltmans with the satisfaction in his voice palpable.

The celebrated Dutch coach knows the road ahead will be big test for the team. “We played with high intensity in all games except for the opener against Argentina, where I thought our energy levels were not that great and we played a lot of half court stuff. At the 2016 Rio Olympics I’m sure all teams will up their levels and we have to be prepared for that,” he adds.

The much-criticised Indian defence stood tall throughout the tournament and Oltmans is willing to give credit to the team. “If you take out the Netherlands game (bronze medal play-off) I believe we worked really well in defence. We could have, of course, done better in the latter stages of the bronze medal play-off,” he avers.

What about the inconsistency that has plagued Indian hockey for long? “Look, inconsistency is one area we have to work on but then all teams have suffered from inconsistent performances. Australia, Germany and Netherlands have been inconsistent and yes, it’s an area we have to focus on,” he quips.

Who were the real finds of the bronze medal winning team? “As you know me, I don’t talk about individual performances – it’s the team that matters,” he signs off offering a straight stick.