New Delhi: In a shocking and surprising move, Hockey India have decided that the Indian women's hockey coach Harendra Singh will take over the responsibility of chief coach of the Indian men's team while the incumbent men's in-charge Sjoerd Marijne was sent back to the women's camp – a fallout of the poor show by the Manpreet Singh-led Indian team at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. Interestingly, Manpreet too was removed from captaincy few days earlier with the mantle handed over to the goal-keeper PR Sreejesh.
India, made it through the group stages and into the semi-finals at Gold Coast, where they lost to New Zealand, before playing England in the Bronze Medal match. Both India and England did play each other during the final game of the group stages, where India fought back in style to win 4-3, but in the medal match-up the English won 2-1 to relegate India to a poor fourth place finish in Australia.
Harendra, who coached the Indian men's team earlier from 2009 to 2011, was in-charge of the women's team since November last year after Marijne was named as the men's coach, replacing the sacked Roelant Oltmans.
Under the guidance of Harendra, who led the Indian junior men's hockey team to the World Cup title in 2016, the Indian women's team finished an impressive fourth at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.
His most important contribution was leading the women's team to the ninth women's Asia Cup title in Japan last year.
However, the men's team under the tutelage of Marijne ended a disappointing fourth in Gold Coast, returning without a medal for the first time since the 2006 CWG.
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