V Raghunath: The Drag-Flicker Who Finds the Goal

India’s key drag-flicker gets candid about the Indian hockey team, their moments of guts, glory and tears, the London Olympics and what they do off the field.

V Raghunath may have been out of the national hockey squad for over a year, but this young player made a dramatic comeback as one of the star performers at the Olympic qualifiers. With the coveted extravaganza nearing, he hopes for a podium finish. “I do believe that India stands a great chance this year. We have a strong squad that has worked from scratch to reach this position,” Raghunath asserts.

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“When India didn’t qualify for the Beijing Olympics, the hockey level had gone down to zero. The boys had to put in extra effort to come back. You have no idea how qualifying for the Olympic this year is a massive win for all us,” he proudly adds.

In a career spanning 6 years, Raghunath has seen it all. From the biggest, unforgettable losses to the most heartening wins. He has been an important part of the team and all this thanks to his father. “I come from Kodagu in Karnataka, which is known for hockey. Every house has one aspiring hockey player there. My father is a hockey coach and it’s because of him that I was introduced to this sport.” “In 1997, I joined a sports hostel in Bengaluru and from then started concentrating on building a career. In 2002, I got to lead the junior squad in the Asian Games,” he tells us.

Raghunath is aware of his responsibilities, both as a drag-flicker and defender and to master his skills, he’s currently training hard for the forthcoming championships. “To be honest, people want wins and medals and once we get that, the team will automatically garner praises. Thus, we all are working really hard in order to defeat every opponent we face in upcoming tournaments,” he says.

Ask him about the team’s biggest loss and he sadly recalls the Olympics qualifier against England in 2008. However, he adds that the defeat at the South African Champions Challenge left the team inconsolable. “The loss against Belgium in the final was a very big hit. We were leading 3-1, but lost 4-3 at the end. It was one of the worst moments in my career.”

Losses aside, at 26, he is one of the key players of the team and draws inspiration from former Indian captain Dhanraj Pillai. “He’s a legend who took hockey to a different level. Also, his attitude was perfect for this sport.” Raghunath on the other hand, steer clears from mentioning his favourite from the current team. “I’m not going to comment on my team players. All are my friends, so if I take one person’s name and miss out the others, they are going to beat me up in the locker room,” he adds laughing.

There is a sense of camaraderie between the team and off the field, they love to watch movies together. “We all our movie-buffs,” he cuts in, “in fact, I travel with a hard disk that has 500 movies (laughs). A die-hard fan of thriller and action, he loves Rajnikanth and tries to watch all his movies.

On that lighter note and before we wrap up, the drag-flicker mentions how he would’ve been a Mechanical Engineer if he hadn’t entered this sport. We are obviously glad that he did and agree when he says that if hockey is promoted well, it too can hog the limelight just like cricket. “Promotion of cricket can go on to a very high level, thanks to money. If we win and promote the game in a positive manner, we too will be at par with the cricketers,” he ends optimistically.

From the June 2012 issue of FHM India.