They have a good chance of reaching semifinals, says Ties Kruize on India's chances at Hockey World Cup

Ties Kruize is a living legend of Dutch and world hockey. Six successive World Cups in a career marred by a horrific auto-crash underline the resilience and fortitude of this ace penalty corner striker. Now 70 and owner of a financial management and advisory firm Kruize — the Dutch team manager at the 2010 edition — continues to stay updated with the sport. “It would be great to have an India-Holland final but I don’t know, Holland have a new coach and a rather new team with a few youngsters. Then again, it’s the Dutch team and we have a very good club system so there’s a lot of potential. As for India, I know the advantage of playing at home, especially in India where the crowd is so fantastic. And of course it’s all about the quality of game they play. But if India starts properly I think India has a good chance to at least reach the semi-finals,” he told in an exclusive interview from The Hague.

“Because they (India) have fantastic skills. And the Australian coach you have (Graham Reid), he has found a good combination between playing spectacular hockey and playing for a win. You have a very good short corner specialist, which is very important in hockey nowadays, and a good goalkeeper. And these two are a good base for a good result for the team, so I have expectations from them, I hope they do well,” he added. Incidentally, Kruize was the president of HC Klein Zwitserland, one of the top Dutch clubs, when current Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey turned out for them in 2005-06, one of the few Indians to play in a foreign league. “I played there all my life and I’m still a member. Dilip was one of the players we asked to come and play, he was very good and a friend. And the centre forward, Gagan (Ajit Singh). They’re very, very nice people and very good players, it was great having them,” he revealed.

As a player, though, he was almost single-handedly responsible for denying India in the 1973 final, scoring twice to take the game into penalties before India fumbled. But more than a personal success, Kruize sees the Dutch win as the inflection point in the sports growth back home, aided by television much like the 1983 World Cup did to cricket in India.“I was only 19 or 20 back then, the World Cup was a new competition and it was the first time that a hockey tournament was being televised in the Netherlands. And we started very badly because the first two games we played, against Argentina and Pakistan, we drew the first and lost the second and only had one point. And then, as it always happens in sports, something just happens. And, out of nothing, we started to play good hockey. Kruize played 202 international matches for the Netherlands, and scored a total number of 167 goals. He was famous for his penalty corner, just as his successor Floris Jan Bovelander was. His father Roepie Kruize also played for the Dutch national hockey team. Throughout his career Kruize played for HC Klein Zwitserland from The Hague. With his club he won eight Dutch titles in a row: from 1977 until 1984. Just like his brothers Hans and Hidde, and his father Roepie, the oldest of the Kruize brothers played club hockey for HC Klein Zwitserland from The Hague. His uncle Gerrit Kruize was also an Olympic field hockey player