Injured Raghu, Vikram out of Azlan Shah meet
2 Apr 2009, Times of India: BANGALORE: India’s dragflicking strengths have been reduced by half in the five-nation Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament in Ipoh after VR Raghunath was forced to withdraw from the squad with a shoulder injury.

Raghunath, who sustained the injury during a setpiece situation at a practice session in the Bhopal camp, is already on rehabilitation and will be fit for the Asia Cup camp in the coming weeks.

Also out of the Azlan Shah tournament, to be played from April 5-12, is midfielder Vikram Pillay who injured his nose during practice. Forward Sarwanjit Singh and VS Vinay have been included in the squad which leaves for Malaysia on Wednesday.

Coach in-charge Harendra Singh rued the absence of Raghunath saying it would sharply limit his options. “Raghu is a consistent performer and to lose him now is a big setback. Sandeep Singh is the sole dragflicker in the team now. We also have Dilip Tirkey but we have to seriously think about indirect conversions,” Harendra told TOI.

India, who face New Zealand in a practice match on April 3 before taking on Egypt in the opener, will aim for full points against all teams.

“We will not allow complacency to creep in. Last year, we lost in the final but this time our ultimate objective is to win the title. We will not settle for anything less. For that to happen we have to excel in every match we play,” Harendra said.

Pakistan, New Zealand, Egypt and hosts Malaysia are also in the fray. Dhanraj Pillay will accompany the team as the manager.

Courtesy: Times of India