Yuvraj injury scare for Indians

 With the FIH Olympic Qualifiers nearing the home straight, India were staring at an injury scare to one of its rising forwards.

Yuvraj Walmiki did not take the field against Canada on Wednesday and when questioned if it was part of the rotational policy, coach Michael Nobbs said he was rested on a precautionary note.

“He came in this morning, saying he was feeling a bit of cramps,” Nobbs told the media. “We didn’t want to take any chances and quickly sent him for an MRI and other tests. We’ve yet to get any results, and we’ll let you know once it is out. Fingers crossed for the moment though.”

The Australian, while not pleased with the conversion, said the strikers still played well and could have scored more if they had shown more patience in penetration. “We created a lot of chances but we managed just 13-14 hits at the Canada goal. Had we’ve been more patient from outside the circle, we’ve could have penetrated far more.

“However, considering Canada played so well today, the result is a huge positive. I guess this win has boosted our chances of making the final a great deal. I am yet to look at the permutations and combinations, but we will strive for victory against Poland.”

India are virtually in the finals and Nobbs said he would employ a different strategy. “It doesn’t matter who we meet in the final, we have to win to be in London and we will try to employ a different strategy in the final.”

Meanwhile, Sandeep Singh said he was happy scoring goals for the team but still needed to improve on his conversion rate. “I scored two today but at the same time missed four. I need to be more consistent. I have a day to sharpen up my skills.”