When news that the team's tour to Pakistan had been cancelled first arrived early April, reactions ranged from disappointment to palpable relief. “This would have been the first stamp in my passport,” one member of the support staff lamented.
“And also your last,” a colleague responded. “It's a good country to tour,” the gag went, “but a better one to not.” But ask Mohammed Riaz, and all you'll get is his trademark inscrutable expression. “Well, I'm sure there were very good reasons,” the Indian hockey team's assistant coach says. “Safety comes first.”
He may not say much but he has, clearly, been doing a lot. In close to a decade, the 40-year-old has graduated from a player preparing for life in retirement to an indispensable presence in the National team's setup.
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The Pakistan tour was going to be Riaz's first time in complete charge of the side – head coach Michael Nobbs having decided to entrust him with the responsibility – but there is not a tinge of disappointment in his voice. “It doesn't matter at all,” he says. “It's fantastic to just be working with the Indian team. That Hockey India picked me out of so many others is itself a matter of great pride.”
In the nine months or so that Nobbs has taken charge, the Indian team has gone from being a struggling also-ran, without a hope of Olympic qualification, to a top-six-contender. Riaz, appointed at the same time, can't talk highly enough of the Australian. “He's a fantastic human being. It's amazing how he has completely rid the squad of negativity. We're a changed unit now.”
That change was at its best visibility at the Olympic qualifying tournament in Delhi, where the team won all six games, scoring a remarkable 44 goals. The subject causes Riaz's usual reticence to disappear. “We're just so quick now,” he beams. “We're always looking to create space; we hit them relentlessly. It's amazing. If I were playing now I'd have enjoyed it too.”
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He dismisses accusations of over-reliance on penalty corners. “I don't understand this criticism,” he says. “We didn't score that many field goals because we played against minor teams (Singapore, Italy, Poland, France and Canada). They were all very defensive; they loaded the area. It was difficult to score field goals. Maybe if they'd attacked us there would have been space to get in behind them and score.”
India will continue with this approach in London, Riaz assures. He went to two Olympic Games himself as a player, in 1996 (Atlanta) and 2000 (Sydney), but the team failed to finish better than seventh. “Let's see what happens this time. But let me tell you, we're not too far behind anyone. We've done well in the last few months. Now we just need to deliver in the right place at the right time.”
Not long after the disappointment of Sydney, Riaz – a fine centre-half – retired as a player before plunging straight into coaching.
“I had played for 10 years and done reasonably well. I felt I owed the game something. I wanted to help young players because I knew from my own experience how critical it was to learn certain things at that age.”
Nobbs admits Riaz is still developing as a coach, but there is no mistaking the faith he reposes in his lieutenant. “He has a good understanding of what we require for the team,” he says. “He has a grasp of the concepts we are playing with and is articulate in his communication skills with the players.”
Part of the reason for Riaz's rapport with his players is his time as coach of the Indian Junior team. “Yeah, I guess that familiarity helps,” he says. “But there is a difference between training them there and training them here. With the Junior team, you're just drawing up a plan and laying some of the foundation. But now you have to go out there and actually build that building.”
Back home, Riaz is chairman of the Tamil Nadu Senior selection committee. The sport, he admits, needs a leg up.
“The standards are acceptable but age group hockey is missing. We need inter-school tournaments. It requires a lot of work; it's a long-term project.” Wonder what else he has planned for the future and Riaz is back to his unrevealing self. “Why think about it?” he smiles. “If today is pleasant, so will tomorrow be.”