50% PC Conversion, a hundred percent Raghunath
He was billed as defender. He did that job too. But he was seen more on rival 25-yard area, setting p goals. He was rough and tough. Tackled Jamie Dwyer bodily and got a green card suspension. His team was trailing by 0-3 till the 40th minute.
Any lesser mortal would have given up. Captain VR Raghunath, whose selling prize surprised everyone including himself, proved his worth.
He then started the best of comebacks the ongoing Hockey India League witnessed. What an occasion he chose to showcase his class in another area of the game – Penalty Corner conversion.
He converted 50 percent of penalty corners his team got today in the bronze medal match.
A 0-3 scoreline was turned upside down to 4-3, the last goal coming through a disputed award of penalty corner – and which decision of the umpires were not disputed today.
Against a team that failed to convert any of the seven penalty corners, today conceded four goals in the space of next 45 minutes, including 15 minutes of extra time.
Raghunath, never hailed so far in the HIL as the team flopped often before struggling to make it to the semis – thanks to that 1-0 win over Magicians – today turned in a heroic performance to give his team the respect, the bronze, the fat cheque of Rs. 75 lac.
Striking four goals against the goalie of stature as Jaap Stockmann will surely turn out to be career highlights of the great player.
Ragunath was fittingly declared Hero Goal of the Match and also won the Man of the Match.
4 MIN- Mark Knowles 1-0
8 MIN- SV Sunil 2-0
39 MIN- Ranjit Singh 3-0
42 MIN- V Raghunath 3-1
62 MIN- V Raghunath 3-2
64 MIN-V-Raghunath 3-3
85 MIN-V Raghunath 3-4 (Golden Goal)