Khanolkar, who has previously coached Indian Railways in two Santosh Trophy campaigns and belongs to the Western India Football Association, said the opportunity was the first step in his dream of becoming the national men's goalkeeping coach.
"I am really excited to be working with the team in such a prestigious tournament. This is a stepping stone in my career. I want to climb the coaching ladder and fulfil my dream of becoming the goalkeeping coach for the Indian national senior team," said an elated Khanolkar.
The AFC 'B' license coach has conducted several AIFF 'D' license courses all over Maharashtra and the secretary of the state's football governing body (WIFA), Souter Vaz, was very happy with his appointment.
"It's an honour to have a coach from Maharashtra go on and coach the India team. He is a very qualified coach and it is a great opportunity for him to progress," Vaz said.
The training camp for the Under-16 girls is being held at SAI, Gandhinagar and the team is set to leave for Lanka in the first week of November. India have been drawn in Group 'B' with Sri Lanka and Uzbekistan.