JOIN US Penalty corner expert Rupinder Pal Singh said having a specialist dragflicking coach in his idol Jugraj Singh will be beneficial for him and his young colleague Harmanpreet Singh in the upcoming Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh, Malaysia.
Rupinder, along with talented Harmanpreet, will be India’s dragflick exponents in Malaysia and the team will be banking on them to convert the set piece chances that come their way.
India’s chief coach Roelant Oltmans had already emphasised on the importance of improving penalty corner conversation rate and Rupinder is confident that they will live up to the billing in Ipoh.
“We spend one hour everyday specifically for dragflicks. We are also joined by former India dragflicker Jugraj Singh who is part of the coaching staff. Jugraj has been my idol and he was also the one to introduce me to dragflick when I began my career. So working with him has been great,” Rupinder said.
“He has been able to help us with finer details which we would otherwise miss. Having a specific coach for dragflicking along with chief coach Roelant Oltmans has been beneficial and I am confident we will do well in Malaysia,” he added.
In the absence of senior players like VR Raghunath and Birendra Lakra, Rupinder will spearhead India’s backline along with Harmanpreet, Gurinder Singh, Pardeep Mor and Surender Kumar in Ipoh.