India start favourites against Pakistan but Roelant Oltmans-coached rivals can't be taken lightly

Sundeep Misra


India's men's hockey team open their campaign against Pakistan on Saturday. Image credit: Twitter/@TheHockeyIndia

On days when training is intensive, Roelant Oltmans can be as sullen as a rain-soaked Labrador. On the best of days, when India win big, his replies have the clarity of a man with a mouth full of ice. The reporter, expectedly, wouldn’t go beyond the first question. And then unexpectedly, he can hold fort, on a random day, on a variety of topics and also explain why he doesn’t like Jose Mourinho. Without digressing, this is what Oltmans thinks of Mourinho: “Talks too much and I have no liking for defensive coaches.”