India need to beat top teams consistently, says Oltmans

Roelant Oltmans has survived where most others could barely stick in their heels. With recent controversial exit of Paul van Ass, the Dutchman has been handed the coaching reins, a responsibility which he himself reckoned puts him in a danger zone.

Regardless, ahead of the team’s departure for the tour of Europe, he exuded remarkable confidence and passion, to serve the Indian hockey till the 2016 Olympics.

During his three-year stay in India, Oltmans has witnessed three coaches come and leave the country fuming. “I try to understand the Indian culture and I try to accept to a certain extent that there is a difference to what I am used to. I had one thing in my mind when I arrived here, that is to bring India on a level where I want them to see. I have told them (team) that I will stay with them until Rio Olympics,” Oltmans told reporters.
India will be playing two games against France and three against Spain in tour beginning August 3.

Oltmans was in support of van Ass’ theory of total hockey where each player in the field is involved in both defending and attacking. “But each and everyone has a role and the important thing is that all the players should know their role. When we are attacking, if the ball is in the final quarter of the pitch our defenders should not stay close to our own D. They should push to certain positions on the pitch to ensure counter control so that we take possession back immediately, even if you lose the ball. So our structure is fine,” he said.

The coaching job has only added to the workload of the 61-year-old who is also the High Performance Director of Hockey India. He, however, said:  “The 99.999 percent of my time will go into coaching and little bit of what is left will be for high performance. I will do that in cooperation of two high performance managers. Not for one second in the upcoming year that they (team) can blame me for not being with them to prepare them 100 percent.”

Oltmans insisted that India needed to beat top sides with regularity. “The last Olympic games India finished 12th, the last World Cup we finished ninth, these are just numbers and facts," said Oltmans.

“Do you believe India can win a gold medal in Rio?  I will strive for it, 100 per cent. We have defeated quite a number of top teams. In the Champions Trophy, we beat Holland, we beat Belgium as well, we beat Australia quite a number of times last year, so it is possible.”