GUIDED MISSILES

After years of sustained training, Sandeep Singh and VR Raghunath are set to take over as India’s torch-bearers in penalty corners

Bangalore: It is no secret that modern hockey thrives on penalty corners for goals and success. The Indian team, now in a rebuiding phase after a shattering low, too has not missed the point.

Naturally, mercurial dragflickers Sandeep Singh and VR Raghunath sound synonymous to success and the duo has left no stone unturned in mastering the art. The high rate of setpiece conversion in the Sultan Azlan Shah tourney earlier this year was an encouraging change and coach in-charge Harendra Singh is keen to regain the tempo.

“If you look at the top six teams in the world, they rely on penalty corners a lot. Penalty corner defending and attacking are crucial to a team’s success,” pointed out Harendra.

The coach was all praise for Sandeep and Raghunath and said the duo has the potential to make it to the elite group of penalty corner specialists, including the likes of Bram Lomans, Sohail Abbas, Taeke Taekema and Jorge Lombi.

Look out for a penalty corner whenever a field goal opportunity is nil is the age-old golden rule, but owning explosive penalty corner specialists drastically changes the morale of any side.

Harendra says dragflickers should understand the concept of the act before going through technicalities like the approach to the ball, the release, following the ball’s path etc.

Hard workers and fast learners, Sandeep and Raghunath, both in their early twenties, promise a lot. The duo is now concentrating not on the sheer number of flicks but their quality, during the practice sessions.

“Unlike in the past, we take 35-40 flicks a day but concentration is given prime importance. That means you are not wearing down physically and are prepared for full-match action as well,” said Sandeep.

An upbeat Raghu said a team really benefits when it has more than one drag flicker. “It is a good opportunity for the team as it provides more options. It also helps in making sure that at least one dragflicker is always there on the field.”

The team has another promising dragflicker in Diwakar Ram, who is the captain of the junior team. It can also look up to veteran Dileep Tirkey and Sameer Baxla, who can provide worthy variations with ferocious hits rather than flicks, during the setpiece.

The team also knows that dragflickers alone will not make things happen. “Very often, the role of pushers and stoppers are forgotten. The timing of a push or stop is vital to the execution of a penalty corner,” said Harendra.

The team is working as a group on penalty corners with Rajpal Singh, Tushar Khandker and Sardar Singh functioning as pushers, while VS Vinay, Arjun Halappa and Vikram Pillay act as stoppers.

SANDEEP SINGH

Age: 23 Preferred flick

STICK SIDE LOW

PREFERRED VARIATION

U-TURN DRAGFLICK

FAVOURITE DRAGFLICKER

SOHAIL ABBAS STRENGTH: ACCURACY

STYLE: Crossing right leg in front of the left during execution. Owes it to his early stint as a javelin thrower

VR RAGHUNATH

Age: 22 PREFERRED FLICK

LEFT TOP

PREFERRED VARIATION

U-TURN DRAGFLICK

FAVOURITE DRAGFLICKER

SOHAIL ABBAS

STRENGTH

SPEED

STYLE

Approach from the left, creating a narrow angle