India Junior Women’s Hockey Team head coach Tim White has heaped praise on former Indian captain Rani Rampal for guiding the country’s promising U-18 players with remarkable efficiency and vision.
Speaking during his scouting visit to the ongoing India-Australia U-18 exposure series in Bhopal, White described the current U-18 batch as an important talent pipeline for the future of Indian hockey.
White, who recently took charge of the Indian U-21 women’s setup, said he was highly impressed with the progress shown by the young squad under Rani’s leadership. He noted that several players in the team are only 15 and 16 years old and still developing physically and tactically, making their rapid improvement even more encouraging.
The Australian coach stressed that the junior structure is not just about winning medals at the youth level, but about preparing players for the senior national side. According to White, the long-term aim is to help young athletes become tactically mature and capable of performing immediately at the highest international level.
White also reflected on his initial weeks in Indian hockey after being appointed as the coach of the Indian Junior Women’s Team in April. He said adapting to the Indian system has been smooth despite minor language barriers, adding that his focus is on building a modern and aggressive style of hockey for the young players.
India’s junior women’s programme is currently preparing for the upcoming Junior Women’s Asia Cup scheduled to be held in China later this year.
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