CHENNAI: One of the most familiar sights while watching the Malaysian hockey team is the evergreen Razie Rahim standing on top of the D, waiting to drag-flick the ball goalwards. The 35-year-old has been doing it for more than 15 years. With 300 caps under his belt, he's the side's elder statesman and an automatic part of the leadership group.
On Thursday, Rahim & Co. will start putting in place preparations they hope will bear fruit at the Asian Games. For a while the Asian Champions Trophy is a tune-up event, the Asian Games doubles up as an Olympic qualifier. It's no surprise that his face lights up when he speaks about the upcoming Games in Hangzhou. "It's a very important event for us," he says. When you have been playing for the national team since at least 2006, you may think about winding down your career, thinking about retirement. Razie, though, hasn't even thought about hanging up his sticks. "My dream, I still haven't achieved it," he says as another sticky late Chennai summer day winds down. "It's to play at the Olympics, that's my passion. That will be the drive for a lot of sportspersons and I'm no different." The last time the men's side featured at the Olympics, the year was 2000 and Rahim was still playing age-group hockey.
Between then and now, Rahim reckons the main changes in the team have been harmony, fitness and tactics. When asked to elaborate on tactics, the defender is of the opinion that they have worked on new tactics keeping in mind the Asian Games. If he's selected, it will be the fifth Asian Games. "The reason (for my longevity) is my discipline and fitness," he says.
Twenty minutes later, the side's coach, Arul Selvaraj supports his statement. "The only reason why he has been able to play for this long is the discipline he showed when he was 16-17-18," Selvaraj, who has been with the team for almost three years, says. Having established a bond with the team (at the World Cup they went out to Spain in the crossovers via a heartbreaking shootout), he's now happy to let the players 'make in-game substitutions', 'do PowerPoint presentations on how to tackle different opponents on the field' and so on. He has compartmentalised the process so different groups of players are in charge of different things.
Malaysia has never won an Asian level event (the closest they ever came was two runner-ups at the Asia Cup the last two times in 2017 and 2022). While they do have the squad to make a run in Chennai, Selvaraj will accept a scenario 'where their performances and the players don't pick up any major injuries'.
Slow, heavy surface Â
On the new turf itself, Malaysia feels that it's on the slower side. While two-time World Cup winner with Australia, Kieran Govers (here as a consultant with the side) was heard making the same point during a training session, Rahim also said the same thing. "Compared to Bhubaneswar, I think this is a slow and heavy surface. The ball tends to bounce a bit more but the players are getting used to it."