NEW DELHI: In a surprise move, women's hockey coach Harendra Singh was today named chief coach of the Indian men's team while incumbent men's in-charge Sjoerd Marijne was sent back to the women's camp -- a fallout of the poor show by Manpreet Singh and Co. in the Commonwealth Games.
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 fifth in Gold Coast, returning without a medal for the first time since the 2006 CWG.