India sweat on strike force

Standing at the centre of the pitch at the Tau Devi Lal Stadium in Gurgaon,Bob Houghton had a problem of plenty when it came to defenders.

Standing at the centre of the pitch at the Tau Devi Lal Stadium in Gurgaon,Bob Houghton had a problem of plenty when it came to defenders. But his choices upfront for the forthcoming ONGC Nehru Cup kept depleting as Mahindra Uniteds Sushil Singh also joined the list of injury-hit after vice captain Sunil Chhetri on the first day of practice for the Nehru Cup. Leaving the decision to Chhetri and waiting for Sushils recovery,Houghton has called for East Bengals Subhash Singh and the striker is expected to join the team on Thursday.

Numerous tests have been conducted on Sunils right ankle but there are no visible signs of injury. If we think he is not fit enough he will not play. He has a good 10 years of football remaining and we cant risk that. At best we can hope for his return in the later stages of the tournament as Steven Dias did during the AFC Challenge Cup. Dont rule him out completely. Unfortunately,Sushil (Singh) has also pulled a hamstring during practice, Houghton said.

Chhetri,whos been out of action since his ankle injury against Mahindra United last December,is taking a last chance.

Im still not sure about my participation. The ankle is still sore. Its improving everyday but the recovery has been too slow for any assurance. I will take a final call in two-three days, Chhetri said.

The situation has prompted the national coach to juggle with his midfielders but India may face another hurdle going into their title defence the absence of at least two regular full-time strikers.

While skipper Bhaichung Bhutia has been occasionally seen on the field for 90 minutes over the last year or so,Abhishek Yadav has been mostly used as a surprise package. Houghton,accepting theres little time for the new combinations to settle in,said: Bhaichung and Chhetri have been our main scoring pair but in the current situation (Syed Rahim) Nabi might come up with Abhishek (Yadav). We will have to wait for Subhash (Singh). He is very young and this will be his first exposure at the international stage ahead of the Asian Cup in 2012. Right now,the time available is a problem but we have to cope with it.

The rest of the team,however,looked in good shape as the imposing runs from the Rakesh Masih and Climax Lawrences matched the tackles from Mahesh Gawli and Co.

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