New hockey coach takes charge

The Netherlands’ Paul van Ass on Monday resumed duties as Indian men’s hockey team’s chief coach as the eight-time Olympic champions underwent their first practice session under the Dutchman at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium. Van Ass officially joined his new job on Sunday but the 54-year-old Dutchman took charge of the team on Monday, supervising a two-hour long practice session of 30 players held in preparation for the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup to be held in Ipoh, Malaysia from April 5-12.

According to a team official, Van Ass was officially introduced to the players during breakfast on Monday morning. “It was a light intensity training on Monday as it was Paul’s (van Ass) first outing with the players. On Monday, he was focused on observing all the players and getting a fair bit of idea about their strengths and weaknesses. In his first training session, Paul’s emphasis was more on the technical aspect of the game. The players also underwent drills on scoring goals,” the official said.