India’s SV Sunil suffers knee injury, doubtful for Men’s Hockey World Cup

The Indian Men’s Hockey team suffered an injury setback as striker S V Sunil was virtually ruled out of the upcoming World Cup citing a knee injury. 

The star striker on October 4 had injured his left knee during the ongoing preparatory camp for the next month’s showpiece event. 

"I suffered the injury while diving for a ball during training on October 4. I have consulted specialists here and the MRI revealed it is a Lateral Collateral Ligament injury (LCL) injury," Sunil told news agency PTI. 

"Initially there was massive swelling and then the doctors here said that there appears to be a slight gap in the knee joint," he added. 

Sunil is set to consult Hockey India’s official doctor B K Nayak, who will take a call on his availability for the World Cup. 

Sunil, however, was hopeful of recovering before the World Cup."I am still hopeful because a week has already passed and recovery from the LCL injury generally takes four weeks. Let's see what happens. I will get a clear picture tomorrow. But if I can't play in the World Cup that would be a massive loss for me," he said. 

The Men’s Hockey World Cup is scheduled to be held from November 28 to December 16 in Bhubaneshwar, Odisha. 

(With PTI inputs)