Really, chak de India

The indian women's hockey team has got a new foreign coach. Is that good?

There is a sudden interest in women's hockey, and even if it is because of a just-released movie on the subject, no one's really complaining.

In Chak De India, a new coach Kabir Khan (Shah Rukh Khan) appears like a knight in shining armour and turns a bunch of no-gooders into world champions.

In real life too, the Indian women's hockey team has a new coach, and for the first time the reins have moved into the hands of a foreign coach. The fascination with foreign coaches in Indian doesn't seem to end, even after the Greg Chappell debacle. But that, of course, is a different story...

The man who has been entrusted with the responsibility of making Indian women's hockey more technically sound, and improving the team tactically, is Herman Kruis. Some confusion still surrounds his appointment "" whether it is an interim appointment or a longer-duration one. Some media reports have indicated that he has been appointed for only 15 days.

According to B David, who has been associated with Indian hockey for over two decades, even if it is an interim appointment, the idea seems to be right.

"If you compare the state of women's hockey to that of their male counterparts, you will see that the women have been doing far better."

Believe it or not, that is true. Apart from winning the gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in 2002, and following it up with a silver medal the next time the Games took place, the team has been performing consistently and doing well internationally.

Kruis has impressive credentials as a coach and has successfully coached various teams in different indoor and outdoor tournaments. He was the coach of the Dutch national indoor hockey team that won the European Club Championship for seven consecutive years.

Apart from that, he was the executive director of the Johan Cruyff College for talented sportspersons, and coach of the 's-Hertogenbosch women's team since 2000, which was the Dutch national champion seven consecutive times. Kruis was also the chief coach of the Dutch national team that won the FIH Indoor World Cup in Vienna this year.

Kruis is currently with the Indian women's team, supervising a preparatory camp in Lucknow before the team takes off for Hong Kong for the Asia Cup starting from September 1.

"I don't know if the idea of having an interim coach, for any team, be it men or women's, bodes well for the long term," comments an ex-coach of the men's hockey team.

While the IHF is notorious for chopping and changing coaches, its women team counterparts have thus far been pretty steady.

M K Kaushik, the erstwhile women's coach who had been with the team for close to four years, sees this appointment as a positive move. Unlike coaches whose contracts get terminated or are not resumed, he is not at all bitter about the whole thing.

"It is a step in the right direction, as foreign coaches do add a lot of value and bring in more professionalism. But if you ask me to say that we are inferior to them in coaching, then I won't agree with that."

Modern techniques are adopted by foreign coaches as they have more international exposure. "Probably the hockey federation lacks confidence in Indian coaches," Kaushik adds. He remains upbeat about the state of women's hockey and feels that the team is ready to achieve even more.

"The Asia Cup would provide a stern test and the mettle of the team would be tested. But there is no doubt in my mind that the girls can do well." So, does Kaushik have any words of advice for his successor?

"Well, it's not an easy job coming into a foreign country and getting instant sucees. But I am sure he has vast experience and is the right man for the job."

Even though Kruis' tenure remains a question mark, it is likely to be extended. A lot will depend on how well the team does in the camp and gels under him. Kruis could add to women's hockey but whether it translates into results and medals needs to be seen.

Sigh, how we sometimes wish reel life could actually translate into real life as well!