Baljit back after two years in the wilderness

BANGALORE: Goalkeeper Baljit Singh isn’t in the camp to make up the numbers. Neither is Hockey India humouring him by including him in the camp.

Baljit stands a good chance of making it to the squad if he gives a good account of himself. And, if he does, the gritty Indian Oil goalkeeper would have done himself a huge favour after two years in the wilderness.

Little did Baljit realise that the golf ball practice at the Pune camp in 2009 would cruelly push him out of the game and even threaten to end his career.

The bloody injury as the ball hit his right eye, the threat of loss of vision, the surgeries and the long road back to normality has frayed his nerves a bit but to the extent of destroying his composure.

At the national camp at SAI, South Centre, Baljit, 29, admitted that it took a lot of effort to regain his confidence.

“After the injury, the AIIMS people said I would not be able to play. Dreams of playing in the CWG and World Cup were shattered. I was treated like a second class citizen. I cried at times, thinking why me. But I realised life had to go on. I kept saying to myself that I should be strong,” said Baljit.

“Not many had hoped that I would make a comeback. The doctor said it might not be possible for me to make a comeback. But my family gave me the confidence because they felt I would get depressed. My teammates also helped and it took a lot of effort,” he said.