Injury while playing cricket puts Kapur out for three weeks

Bathed in the glow of a long awaited top-10 run in Munich,Shiv Kapur had hoped to make his stint in Loch Lomond as perky. Under a rainy sky on a Scottish evening...

Bathed in the glow of a long awaited top-10 run in Munich,Shiv Kapur had hoped to make his stint in Loch Lomond as perky. Under a rainy sky on a Scottish evening,that ambition was,rather unfortunately,cut short.

Kapur was playing cricket in a caddies vs players match at the local Helensburgh Cricket Club last Tuesday when diving to field off his own bowling,Kapur fell and suffered a bruised shoulder muscle. Hes out for three weeks,and has been told not to hit balls for at least 10 days. He played a round and a half at the Scottish Open that week,but withdrew when it was obvious he couldnt continue.

It is unfortunate that it has happened now, Kapur said,speaking to The Indian Express on Thursday. It could happen to you in the bathtub,anywhere really,it is just one of those unlucky things. It came,unfortunately,at the wrong time.

The 27-year-old hasnt quite had a run to remember this season on European turf,and the Munich show,where he ran off a seven-under 65 in the last round to finish eighth,was one he was hoping to build on. Compared to two months ago,where even survival to the weekend was getting difficult,Id more or less stabilised my game, Kapur said. I spent the beginning of the season at the fag end of the scoresheets,languishing on the money list. But I worked on my short game and with six cuts in a row from the Italian Open,it definitely seemed to be coming around.

Hes inched up to the 121st spot on the European Tour money list now and the target of the season remains making it to the first-ever Dubai World Championship in November. The top 60 money winners will have spots at the season climax.

There is one appointment he will miss next week though. I was to have a session with my coach Peter Murphy at the Swedish Open in the coming week,but that obviously doesnt quite look like happening now, Kapur said.

Stuck at home with the flu hes just picked up,Kapur said hell have to use a combination of physiotherapy and good old rest for recuperation of the shoulder muscle. Its internal bruising,and Im lucky it wasnt anything bigger. Hopefully Ill be back for the Czech Open at the end of July, he said.