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The senior Indian hockey team has overcome many hurdles and has ended this calendar year on a high by securing a Bronze medal at the recently concluded Hockey World League(HWL) Finals in Raipur, and thus ending India’s 33-year medal drought in an FIH tournament.
Roger van Gent, strategic coach of the Indian senior side, was appointed just weeks before the commencement of the HWL Finals and has already started to make a difference in the Blues build-up strategies. However, he insists on the need of playing more matches against the top 5 teams in the world, in order to gain as much information as possible.
He said, “We still have a lot to do and that's the reason we need to play this sort of hard matches. It will allow us to know our strengths and weaknesses. The more information you get by playing the best teams in the world the better it is for us. These matches show where you can improve and what you are doing right. Although nine months look like a long time but in reality it is short. I think this is the best way to start our preparation for Road to Rio,” as IBNLive reported it.
“It's always exciting to go to a country which has a good national team”
The senior Indian side climbed up 3 places to 6th in the world rankings following a stellar performance in the HWL Finals. According to Van Gent, the main reason for Indian hockey’s downfall is inconsistency while playing the higher ranked oppositions, and can be corrected only if the Indian side plays more matches against them.
Van Gent expressed his joy on getting a phone call from his old friend and fellow Dutchman Roelant Oltmans inquiring him about the vacant role of the strategic coach.
He added, “I got a call from Roelant. Roelant and I knew each other for long time. He gave me a call in July-August asking I was interested to come over. I found the offer very exciting. It's always exciting to go to a country which has a good national team. India is getting higher and higher in the rankings.”
However, Van Gent has laid down any expectations of a medal at the 2016 Summer Games and concluded, “It is very hard to predict it now. We are working on our weaknesses, we are trying to improve but I cannot guarantee a medal. No team can guarantee a medal. Our aim is to get a good ranking.”
