Baljit confident of making India return
An injury to his right eye caused by a golf-ball hit had almost curtailed Baljit Singh’s career in 2009 but the gutsy hockey custodian, who is yet to regain his full vision, said he is confident of donning the national colours again in the near future.
Baljit was dealt with a serious career-threatening injury during a regular training session at the camp in Pune ahead of their four-nation European hockey Test series in July 2009. The Chandigarh lad was training with a golf ball to improve his reflexes when the goalkeeping coach Romeo James’s drive flied off a golf club to hit his right eye, damaging the retina and cornea.
After his treatment in India with the support of the Hockey India, Baljit went to the US in August that year for surgery which helped him to gain 20 percent of his vision. “The government spent about Rs 35 lakh for my treatment in the US. I regained 20 percent vision after that surgery. My visibility is only up to 10 feet and it is also very difficult to see from the sides of my right eye. The doctors have advised me for another surgery once my eye pressure becomes normal,” Baljit said, who was in Bangalore with the Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) team for the Super Division league.
The 29-year-old safely guarded the IOCL goal even with a blurred vision as his team thumped Army Service Corps 8-0 on Wednesday. “I am confident that I can again play for India. I will put in all the effort to regain my position with the team,” Baljit added.
After a year’s hiatus, Baljit came back to competitive hockey last year and soon showed his class by helping IOCL edge out Air India with two saves in the tie-breaker at the Surjit Singh Memorial tournament. “That victory against Air India gave me the confidence,” Baljit noted.
Baljit, however, said he is disappointed with the lack of further support from Hockey India. “In 2009 December I went for help from HI for the second surgery which could have improved my vision. But HI said we don’t have funds. It hurts me a lot when people, who have to support and motivate me, don’t care to do so,” rued Baljit.