FROM being declared the best player of the tournament in India’s title win in the 2001 Junior World Cup in Hobart to spending time on the sidelines after the 2006 Commonwealth Games, Deepak Thakur has seen it all.

After starring in India’s victories in the Argentina test series earlier this year, Thakur’s reemergence on the Indian scene again took a blow when he had to sit out for more than six months because of a jaw injury that he sustained during the Punjab Gold Cup in February.

Now Thakur has been drafted into the 21-member Indian side scheduled to tour Argentina for the Champions Challenge I and the forward, who plays for Stuttgart Kickers in the German league, is hoping to cement his place for the 2010 World Cup.

“It was disappointing to miss out on the action, especially since I was in fine form. Now I want to get my rhythm back. It is tough to make a comeback after an injury but I am hopeful of a good performance. All of us want to end the year on a high,” Thakur told The Indian Express from Pune.

The 28-year-old also hoped that having played in Argentina earlier in the year will prove handy. ” Argentina has always been a place where I have performed well,” said Thakur.

Incidentally, Thakur was the highest scorer, with six goals, when India won the inaugural edition of the Champions Challenge in Malaysia in 2001.