Indian hockey's high performance director Roelant Oltmans says the team's series win over Australia is a positive sign but repeating the feat against the World Champions in the upcoming Champions Trophy will determine the squad's progress.
"It is surely a positive result for the team. Everyone in the world including Australia would not have have thought of this outcome, although they are in the the process of rebuilding after the World Cup," Oltmans told PTI today after the squad returned home following a 3-1 win in the four-match test series.
Asked how he rated the result, the Dutchman said: "All the 21 players played and the outcome is good. But we have to be realistic on what it means. Does it mean too much than just a series win against Australia? I would say if we are able to beat Australia in Champions Trophy, then we can say we have taken major steps forward," said the renowned expert.
Oltmans was quick to add that December 6-14 Champions Trophy in Bhubaneshwar will be a much tougher test for the team. India are in Pool B alongside Netherlands, Germany and Argentina in the eight-nation tournament.
"It (Champions Trophy) is a competition lot different than a friendly series. We are in a group having Germany and surprise of World Cup Argentina, so it will be tough from day one. After a short break, we will resume training for the tournament," he said, while choosing not to talk about the target for the premier event.
"I know that you guys always want to talk about the outcome. The important thing for me is that the team is showing steady progress. There is still lot of time left to talk about the outcome anyway.
