India is a sleeping giant: Oltmans
NEW DELHI: Former Dutch coach Roelant Oltmans has not lost hope on India. He still believes that the country can regain its past status as a superpower in world hockey. But for that to happen, people need to show some patience.
“India is kind of a sleeping giant. It has the potential to come back to the top of world hockey. But you can’t expect them that to happen overnight,” Oltmans, who’s in the Capital in connection with the World Series Hockey, told TOI.
Oltmans, who’s the coach of Delhi Wizards in WSH, said there’s a process involved which can ensure India’s ascendancy. “You just can’t expect them to win medals in the Olympics. They will only get better gradually. May be they should aim to finish 5-8 in the Olympics. From thereon they can try to improve their position. I believe they have the capacity to do so.”
The 58-year-old said he watched the Indians play the Italians in the Olympic qualifiers on Saturday. “They were playing attacking with some good combinations. The skills on display were good. For a good team it’s important to understand the game better. Reading the game better will help them.”
He said it was important for the game in the country to have more youngsters in its fold. “The youngsters need to get into hockey and get support for what they are doing,” he said.
On WSH, which is scheduled to be held later this month, the Dutchman said the event will help youngsters get some invaluable experience. “It’s good for the country as each team will have some young players. They will get a chance to practice with and play against some very good players. It will also help players in getting to know about different styles used by others.”