Riaz backs Marijne to excel in his job as coach

The turbulent times that kicked up a storm in the wake of the unceremonious sacking of Dutchman Roelant Oltmans as coach have appeared to have made way for an oasis of calm with the 63-year-old's compatriot Sjoerd Marijne orchestrating the team's splendid success at the Asia Cup recently. 

Despite India struggling in the ongoing Hockey World League in Bhubaneswar, where it failed to win even a single group match before upsetting Rio Olympics runner-up Belgium in a thrilling quarter-final, Riaz strongly advocates the need to give the incumbent coach a longer rope to establish his credentials. 

"Ever since Marijne took over, the team has been doing consistently well. One positive to emerge from that tournament was how the defence held firm. But there are some improvements to be made in the striking department. They need to realise the importance of converting half-chances as at this level, you will not get too many clear-cut chances to score," opined the 45-year-old Riaz.

According to Riaz, captain Manpreet Singh has been impressive in his role as captain and, just like the coach, should be given more time to ease into his role even if the initial results go awry. 

"He can read the game and the opponent's strategy quickly. He has shown that he is not letting captaincy affect his performance on the pitch. Besides, he can galvanise the team into a cohesive unit and with him still being only 25 years, he has it in him to lead the team successfully for many more years to come," added the Arjuna Award winner.

Harking back to the team's glorious triumph at this year's Asia Cup, Riaz said what made it even more memorable was India beating its arch-rival Pakistan twice and that both were resounding wins. 

"It’s true that Pakistan is no longer the team it once was. But despite that, it won’t take the gloss away from our magnificient performance. Every time we get the better of Pakistan, it’s an occasion to celebrate and our young team showed no nerves in such a crunch match and that was pleasing to see,” remarked Riaz.