I have matured as a player: Raghu

BANGALORE: Five years ago, a freak bullet injury to Sandeep Singh days before the World Cup in the German city of Monchengladbach saw VR Raghunath making a diffident entry into the big stage.

He might have made his international debut in an Indo-Pak hockey series in 2005 but the experience wasn’t enough for Raghu to substantially up his stakes against prime competition at Monchengladbach.

However, the way he was pulled out of the SAF Games team and asked to shape India’s fortunes in penalty corners only showed the faith his coaches and the federation had in him. Doha Asian Games was his next stop and before long he was a constant in the national squad.

India’s fall from grace in 2008, when they failed to qualify for the Olympics and the return of Sandeep Singh to the pedestal made things difficult for the 25-year-old Karnataka drag-flicker. He was in the development squad but hardly in the scheme of things with former coach Jose Brasa.

But Raghu fought adversity with typical grit, hoping to seize the chances that came his way. The first of the big opportunities presented itself a few days back, nearly 18 months after his last international match, when Sandeep withdrew from the Asian Champions Trophy squad. Raghu knows the time is ripe for him to cement his place in the team. That’s what he intends to do, as he revealed in this chat.

Is this his second coming? It’s been almost a year and a half out of the Indian squad. Although a big challenge, I will utilise this chance well. It’s important to play well in the tournament because I want to be part of the Olympic qualifiers. I am in good form right now.

His views on ACT? I have played against many countries like Korea, Malaysia and their goalkeepers are not new to me. I am confident of myself and I can score against any opponent.

His last tournament? My last tournament was the Champions Challenge in Argentina in February 2010. I scored a goal in the bronze medal winning game in Salta.

Any difficulty in jelling with the team? The team combination differs quite a bit from the past. But I am resilient. There are a lot of youngsters in the side and we should give our hundred percent in every match.

His views on coach Michael Nobbs? It’s hardly two months since Nobbs took over as the coach of the Indian team. We are getting into the Indo-Australian style of hockey. Exercise physiologist David John is working on our physical fitness. The tougher the player, better the game, so we are working on that aspect.

New trends in defence? Penalty corner coach Jugraj Singh is helping us iron out mistakes. I am one of the three rushers in the team as there are Gurvinder Singh Chandi and Rupinder Pal Singh. Over the years, I have also matured as a player. I know to what level I can push my game. I have also my tackling. When I was out of the team I hired a personal trainer to work on my fitness. I quit drag-flicking for a while to focus more on my attack and defence so that I could offer a better package to the coach.

About Jugraj: I have known Jugraj for the last two years. It’s good we have a former player as our coach. His experience as an international is of great help. He has made our flicks swift and sharp. He can help in producing another 4-5 drag-flickers in the next two years.

Know VR Raghunath

Age 25

2006 Asian Games

4 Azlan Shah Cup

3 Asia Cup

2006 World Cup, Monchenglabach

Member of the disastrous Olympic qualifiers in Chile