Waiting to Excel

THE scene cannot present a greater contrast from seven months ago. Back then, one of Indian hockey8217;s brightest stars saw the light flickering out after a car accident he was lucky to survive. Today Jugraj Singh8217;s double-storeyed house in Raiya, near Jalandhar, is decorated to celebrate his 21st birthday.

Or his second birth.

The last six months have been a horrifying experience, almost as bad as the September crash. The accident caused physical pain; the recuperation has been a test of his mental strength, his will to live, his ability to cope with whatever is thrown at him.

Jugraj8217;s elder sister Rajbir Kaur, an Asiad gold medallist and his foster-mother, recalled that when they saw him for the first time after the accident last September they thought he had only 8216;8216;5 percent chance of surviving8217;8217;.

One first-hand account said all they collected at first was a pile of bones. A doctor in Ludhiana who treated him said that it was difficult to join the bones since they were so hard 8216;8216;the electric saw broke while trying to cut them8217;8217;.

8216;8216;One of the doctors from Bangalore told me in October I would never be able to walk or eat with my hands,8217;8217; recalled Jugraj. It was impossible to sleep that night, said the hockey player.

It would be impossible to sleep this night as well. It8217;s 9.30 p.m. and the Singh household is packed with guests. Gurpreet Kaur, the lady of the house, stands at the door welcoming well-wishers. In the background, a familiar figure metamorphoses. Attired in his favourite clothes 8212; jeans with tight T-shirt 8212; Jugraj looks almost the same, only the sweaty bandanna is missing.

He breaks into a smile and hugs you but your eyes are focussed on his legs 8212; is the limp still there? No, nor is the haggard look he sported for a long time. He8217;s also put on 17 kilos, one more than he had lost during the treatment.

Harjinder Singh recalls that people whom his family didn8217;t even know had prayed for his son8217;s recovery. The doctors in the US had looked after his son as their own children. 8216;8216;So many people have offered ardas for his recovery. Ardas aur dua bahut bari takat hoti hai. People want to see him back in the team.8217;8217;

Jugraj said when he and his father went to the US for his treatment they hardly knew anybody there except for a cousin who had been living there for a long time. But within days of their arrival, hockey fans of Indian origin and the doctors provided him a positive environment during his treatment.

8216;8216;The doctors had arranged for a video cassette of my matches in the Champions Trophy. Two Indian fans, Shamsher Singh and Dilbagh Singh, used to get us Indian food from their home. Recently, one of them had even come down to meet me here.8217;8217;

Jugraj8217;s cousin Navjosh Singh was at his side for almost the entire period in the US. 8216;8216;It used to snow a lot at that time and I often wanted to talk to someone my age and he Navjosh was the perfect support during the crisis.8217;8217;

Jugraj also believes the support of his teammates kept his spirits up. Two players 8212; forwards Deepak Thakur and Gagan Ajit Singh 8212; were regularly in touch with him. 8216;8216;They always asked me: 8216;Wapas kab aa rahe ho.8217; The fact that I was so much wanted by all my teammates has inspired me and I don8217;t want to let them down.8217;8217;

Even the Indian Hockey Federation played their role as custodians of the game. 8216;8216;Mr Gill IHF president KPS Gill used to call me daily when I was in the US to enquire about my health. Other IHF officials were also always there for me.8217;8217;

Today, survival is no longer the issue. If Jugraj still has sleepless nights, it8217;s because of his intense desire for the Big O: the Olympics in Athens. He8217;s now started training at the Punjab Police ground 8212; an hour8217;s drive from his home 8212; an event that created a stir in Indian hockey circles and flooded websites with messages from fans who believe Jugraj is key to India8217;s chances in the Olympics.

Those fans will be heartened by his optimism. He8217;s aware that he8217;s set a difficult target for himself but he accentuates the positives. 8216;8216;A few days ago I started practising the drag-flick. Direction theek ja rahi hai. Bas power improve karna hai8217;8217;.

He has been provided a training chart by the doctor 8212; he trains almost daily at the Punjab Police ground with his cousin and other national level athlete who train there. 8216;8216;Once I come to the camp, I can improve further,8217;8217; says Jugraj.

His teammates vouch for his determination 8212; and ability 8212; to wage struggles. Viren Rasquinha narrated an incident that took place last year in Australia. 8216;8216;We had conceded a penalty-corner towards the end of the match due to an error of mine. Jugraj who was our key PC defender, rushed towards me and said, 8216;Don8217;t worry, we will save it. And he saved it.8217;8217;

Now, can Jugraj take himself to the Olympics is the question? IHF chief KPS Gill says the moment to decide whether Jugraj will play in the Olympics hasn8217;t arrived. 8216;8216;It8217;s too early to say at this stage. We will have to wait for some more time,8217;8217; said Gill.

The next few months will see the pressure increase on Jugraj 8212; he wants to play the Olympics more than anything else he wants today. Jugraj is aware that there is hardly much time left but he is confident of making each seconds count. Nobody has overcome such odds in Indian sports before but those who know Jugraj well are confident that even if there is 10 per cent chance, their injured teammate can make it happen again.

8216;If you play, you8217;ll get injured8217;

ATEET SHARMA

Harbhajan Singh has never had the opportunity to meet Indian hockey8217;s wonderboy Jugraj Singh but believes that his fellow Jalandhari is a man with a bada jigra 8212; a braveheart.

8216;8216;This game hockey never excited me. But, during the last few months, I had the chance to watch some of India8217;s celebrated hockey wins on TV and, of what I have seen of Jugraj, him running forward during a penalty corner, not fearing a hard blow on his body, I can say that he is a very brave man,8217;8217; says Bhajji.

Harbhajan8217;s admiration for Jugraj, and his fighting spirit, is born out of empathy 8212; for the past few months the Turbanator himself has been sitting on the sidelines thanks to an injury to the middle finger of his right hand. So he sat in the team dressing room in Australia and in his own drawing room during the historic tour of Pakistan.

8216;8216;It was as frustrating as it could get. In Australia, when the rest of the players went in the field, I used to think 8216;What am I doing here8230; I certainly didn8217;t come to sit in the dressing room.8217; But time is the biggest healer. One has to be patient. I realised that injuries are part of every sportsperson8217;s life. If you play, you8217;ll get them.8217;8217;

When the Indians toured Pakistan recently, Harbhajan would call his teammates at stumps every day to discuss the finer points of the day8217;s play.

8216;8216;At no point during the series did they Indian players let me feel that I was out of the team and was missing out the action sitting in India. A few days back, when I called Dada Sourav Ganguly to congratulate him, he chided me before saying that I am still a part of the Indian team and deserve equal credit for the team8217;s success. I felt touched.8217;8217;

With the long break due to end soon, Harbhajan has started practicing hard at home in Jalandhar. His day starts with a jog at the Burlton Park followed by a brief nets.

8216;8216;It the injury is perfectly fine now. I am bowling 8-10 overs every day at the nets with the same grip and can feel the rhythm returning. Gradually, I will increase the number of overs and once I feel that I can bowl a long spell, as in a Test match, I will consider myself fit to play international cricket again.8217;8217;

However, learning from his past mistakes, Harbhajan says he would not plan a hasty return this time.

8216;8216;I would let the doctors decide that instead. Even if I feel that I am fully fit and the doctors think otherwise, I would let them have their say. I don8217;t wish to take any risk. I am not in a hurry and feel that I can play international cricket for at least 10 more years. So, there is no harm in waiting for a few more months.8217;8217;

The ace spinner is following a detailed physiotherapy programme prepared by Australian Dr Greg Hoy 8212; who had treated Shane Warne for a similar injury 8212; and Andrew Liepus.

8216;8216;I have realised my mistakes and would not repeat them. To plan my future in the game, I have to be very careful and play safe. For instance, I have to systematically plan my session in the nets, and also reserve my best for the big matches. Like Steve Waugh, I want to maintain my fitness and strength of character for a long time.8217;8217;

In order to regain match fitness before possibly making a comeback in the Indian team for Asia Cup in July, Harbhajan plans to spend some time playing for Lashings Club in Kent, England, next month.

8216;8216;The season ahead will be hectic and important. Moreover, I am really working hard on my batting after seeing Irfan and Balaji smashing in action. Tail-enders are becoming better batsmen and, after watching my dismissals in the past, when I threw my wicket unnecessarily, I am really taking my batting seriously now,8217;8217; Bhajji chuckles.