New Delhi: Thirty-seven years ago, he was the man who brought about India’s downfall in the second edition of the World Cup hockey at Amsterdam. Yet, till date, Ties Kruize remains the biggest admirer of Indian hockey.

Considered a living legend of Dutch hockey, Kruize, 58, had represented his country in six World Cups, including the one in 1973 when the Netherlands defeated India in extra time in the final after being down by two goals by the 12th minute. He pulled both the goals back and emerged the top scorer of the World Cup with 11 goals.

The final instantly made Kruize a national hero and he went on to score 167 international goals for the Netherlands in 202 matches in a career spanning over 15 years.

Talking about that final match, Kruize, who also played in three Olympics and is currently the manager of the national team here, got nostalgic.

“It was a wonderful final. Surjit Singh struck two quick goals for India before I scored two to make it even,” he said. “Surjit was a terrific penalty corner specialist, one of the bests India has ever produced,” said Kruize, whose father was also a hockey international.

“India had some great players during our time. Ashok Kumar in the forwardline was one such player. They were considered the world’s best those days,” Kruize said.

The performance of the Indian team at the international level must improve for the overall development of the game, feels the former Dutch star. “I had always been a great lover of Indian hockey and looked forward to come to India.

“Matches used to be played in front of packed stands whenever I came to India as a player. In 2004, when I went to Hyderabad, I was shocked to find empty galleries. I am sad to find the downward popularity of hockey in India,” said Kruize.

Kruize agreed that hockey switching to artificial turf had a role to play behind India’s downfall. “India had highly talented players who used to do wonders on natural grass. Perhaps India have lost that advantage,” he said.

Kruize, who was nicknamed by the Germans as “Thor” (the Scandinavian thunder god) thinks India has to overhaul its system to get back to its glory days. “In Europe, everything is done by the coach. He is the final authority in selecting the team. In India, I believe, there is a selection committee also. Actually, the coach should be given a free hand.”

A brilliant striker of the ball in penalty corners, Kruize was also the top scorer in the Munich Olympics in 1972 (18 goals) and the 1975 World Cup (seven goals).

“We have a good system that helps us to produce penalty corner specialists,” Kruize said. “At the moment we have Taeke Taekema, who is our main drag flicker. Once he goes, many more will come in to fill up his place,” predicted the former great confidently.