Raghunath Road To Hockey Glory

By Author: ram kausik
Total Articles: 126
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India fell from grace at the Summer Olympics hosted in London. True, we have some silver and bronze medals to show for our endeavors down at the pit; but for some players affiliated with certain sports, the defeat was more than a crushing blow, it was the a true wakeup call!

The hockey team has swayed with the gentle crest and troughs of fate over the years. The year 20-12 was a mixed bag for India’s elite. While much was anticipated with the teams’ stunning victory against France at the Olympic Qualifiers in Delhi, the main event itself was more of a disappointment teetering on outright humiliation. The event was definitely a turning point in Hockey history, the slow transition of the once mighyt Hockey team to a pathetic state that threatened to disappear into oblivion.

So the team decided to regroup before proceeding further into any other competitions. Sardar Singh resumed the captain position with drag-flicker V R Raghunath as his deputy of the eighteen member squad specially designed to accommodate younger players such as Akashdeep Singh and P.T. Rao who is the designated goal keeper of the team. Besides ...
... the captain and the Vice Captain, S.V. Sunil is the only other member in the whole squad to have crossed the ‘over 100 international caps’ mark. While most players don’t have the plume of Sardar Singh and V.R. Raghunath statistics, they are scrappy, talented players nevertheless. Since his illustrious comeback to the national team following his impressive antics at the 2011 Senior National Championships, he has been working on his moves to incorporate more versatility in to his techniques.

The pairing of these two defenders (Singh and Raghunath) produces a lethal force of nature. Indian Hockey team coach Michael Nobbs swear by the dynamic duo. They share a good rapport on and off the field which is the reason for their chemistry during the game. The inaugural Hockey India auction was a true testimony as to how in demand V R Raghunath profile was. His sterling performance in the past year fetched him a whopper of a USD 76,000; just USD 2000 behind the highest paid player at the auctions- Sardar Singh. So far Sardar Singh and Sandeep Singh were the big shots in Indian Hockey. Not anymore. Raghunath is ready to emerge from the shadows of his famous compatriots and make a name for himself, which others will remember for years to come.