Sticking it out

During the one-and-a-half months that Indian hockey’s ace dragflicker Jugraj Singh lay in Ludhiana’s Dayanand Medical College, lim...

During the one-and-a-half months that Indian hockey’s ace dragflicker Jugraj Singh lay in Ludhiana’s Dayanand Medical College, limbs smashed and critical after a road accident, he chanced upon Lance Armstrong’s autobiography, It’s Not About the Bike.

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

He’s only 60 per cent of his former self, but on the field, Singh wants no easy routes. ‘‘I’m fit physically. But am still lacking match fitness,’’ 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: ‘‘How else can you describe his miraculous comeback? It’s sheer will power that has enabled him to come back on the field. He’s a very brave man.’’

The mercurial forward, however, feels Singh’s dragflicks aren’t as lethal as they used to be. ‘‘He scored a couple of goals but it’s just about sixty per cent of what he’s capable off. I think it will still take some time for him to be in that zone again,’’ 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. ‘‘Jugraj’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. It’s because he is such a big-hearted person, he’s made it.’’

Negi feels he wouldn’t be surprised if in the next couple of years Singh returns to his old self. ‘‘I’ve seen him from close quarters in the two — Barog (HP) and the United States — 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. I’m very impressed with his performance on the day,’’ says Negi.

FORWARD MARCH

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

• Was forced out of action for over seven months

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

• Played in the Premier Hockey League in Hyderabad, scoring nine goals