New Delhi: With the FIH men’s and women’s junior World Cup scheduled later this year, Hockey India Tuesday appointed Herman Kruis of the Netherlands as the coach of both the men’s and women’s junior national teams.
Kruis has an impressive coaching resume, which includes training Dutch club Den Bosch ladies, besides having coached the Netherlands women’s indoor hockey team between 2006-08 and the Dutch outdoor team between 2008-10.
His last coaching stint happened to be with the Belarus Indoor and Outdoor team between 2016-23, while he is a certified FIH coach-educator.
Following his appointment, Kruis expressed his delight and happiness with the junior Indian side.
“I am looking forward to this new role with Hockey India. There are some very talented players in the Indian junior men’s and women’s hockey teams,” he said in a HI release.
“The next four months leading up to the Junior World Cups are exciting and at the same time an important phase in the teams’ preparations. I look forward to working with them to achieve the desirable results,” he added.
HI President Dilip Tirkey backed Kruis’s experience to come in handy for the Indian junior sides.
“I believe his experience will further boost our prospects at the FIH Junior Hockey World Cup 2023. He will be working closely with Tushar Khandker, coach of India junior women’s side and CR coach, India junior men’s side,” he stated.
Also, HI secretary general Bhola Nath Singh was hopeful of Kruis delivering the results.
“In order to work towards desirable results in the FIH Junior Hockey World Cup 2023, Hockey India Executive Board took a decision to strengthen our coaching staff by bringing on the expertise of Herman Kruis.
“His experience will certainly be a great value add for the two teams preparing for the prestigious event this year,” he concluded.
The Men’s Junior World Cup will be held in Kuala Lumpur between December 5-16, whereas the women’s event will be taking place in Santiago, Chile, from November 29 to December 10.
As for the men, Argentina are the two-time defending champions, while India won the last title in 2016. For women, the Dutch are the four-time reigning champions, while the Indians are yet to emerge successful.