BHUBANESWAR: Had it been an opponent tougher than No. 22 Russia, losing Varun Kumar to injury two days before the hockey Olympic qualifiers would have felt like a jolt for the Indian men’s team, as far as the most improved aspect of their play — the defence is concerned. Think of the value-addition the Punjab defender provides as part of India’s drag-flick battery and it surely will make coach Graham Reid tweak his initial plans before the ball rolls in the first game of the two-match qualifier here at the Kalinga Stadium on Friday. The 24-year-old Varun injured his shoulder and right bicep in training earlier this week and failed to recover sufficiently. He has been replaced by veteran midfielder Birendra Lakra. Varun’s experience may appear miniscule in front of Lakra’s 180-plus caps, but he was talked about as being part of India’s four-pronged drag-flick attack for the qualifiers, with Harmanpreet Singh, Rupinder Pal Singh and Amit Rohidas being the other three in the 18-member squad picked initially. Evidently then, Varun’s penalty-corner skills tilted the scales in his favour to ensure India had enough drag-flick options at hand. UPDATE: Ace Defender Birendra Lakra joins the 18-Member Indian Men’s Hockey Squad,…