Sticking it out

During the one-and-a-half months that Indian hockey8217;s ace dragflicker Jugraj Singh lay in Ludhiana8217;s Dayanand Medical College, lim...

During the one-and-a-half months that Indian hockey8217;s ace dragflicker Jugraj Singh lay in Ludhiana8217;s Dayanand Medical College, limbs smashed and critical after a road accident, he chanced upon Lance Armstrong8217;s autobiography, It8217;s Not About the Bike.

8216;8216;He fought advanced testicular cancer and went on to win Tour de France six times,8217;8217; Singh says after scoring two of the team8217;s three goals against local outfit Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilisers on Thursday. At the BHA 8212; venue of the ongoing 43rd Bombay Gold Cup 8212; there8217;s sympathy for the 22-year-old.

He8217;s only 60 per cent of his former self, but on the field, Singh wants no easy routes. 8216;8216;I8217;m fit physically. But am still lacking match fitness,8217;8217; Singh admits. But feels that hard work and determination can do wonders and he is prepared to do everything it will take to make a comeback.

Ace forward Dhanraj Pillay, who has been out of action for a while, agrees: 8216;8216;How else can you describe his miraculous comeback? It8217;s sheer will power that has enabled him to come back on the field. He8217;s a very brave man.8217;8217;

The mercurial forward, however, feels Singh8217;s dragflicks aren8217;t as lethal as they used to be. 8216;8216;He scored a couple of goals but it8217;s just about sixty per cent of what he8217;s capable off. I think it will still take some time for him to be in that zone again,8217;8217; he observes. Singh, meanwhile, keeps reading books of bravado to learn how sportsmen have staged comebacks after career-altering injuries.

Though the heroics of some sportsmen are inspirational, there has to be an urge to brave the situation and overcome it from within. A point put forth by Olympian and former India goalkeeping coach Mir Ranjan Negi points out. 8216;8216;Jugraj8217;s is a classic case. The magnitude of the accident was such that no player other than him could have even dreamt of walking, leave alone playing hockey. It8217;s because he is such a big-hearted person, he8217;s made it.8217;8217;

Negi feels he wouldn8217;t be surprised if in the next couple of years Singh returns to his old self. 8216;8216;I8217;ve seen him from close quarters in the two 8212; Barog HP and the United States 8212; camps after his accident. He had put on a lot of weight and was struggling to walk. Its good to see him back in action. I8217;m very impressed with his performance on the day,8217;8217; says Negi.

FORWARD MARCH

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8226; Met with an accident in Dakoha near Jallandar on a fateful September night of 2003, while returning home with two of his friends

8226; Was forced out of action for over seven months

8226; Missed major tournaments like the Asia Cup, Champions Trophy, Athens Games, Afro-Asian Games and the series against Pakistan during that period

8226; Played in the Premier Hockey League in Hyderabad, scoring nine goals