It was around 6:30pm in the evening when Sandesh Jhingan picked up the call. I have been checking on him almost daily, and it is only fair to state that he is one of my favourite players. “Kaise ho, paaji?” he asked, sounding somewhat weak and tired. Understandable, for he had undergone surgery a day earlier. When I asked him how he was and if things were somewhat better, he replied: “Just reached home an hour ago. They have given some strong medications, which is why I am a big groggy. But now, the comeback process will start in earnest. While I will follow all the medical advice, I will also push myself maximum. Playing for India is a dream, paaji, and every minute spent on the pitch is a dream fulfilled. I am living that dream and will do everything to make sure I live it to the fullest.”
Yes, he was tired. He was jaded and groggy, and yes, he had been operated on. But the josh was very much there. One could understand why he had decided to play on with the fracture. While it was a huge risk and shouldn’t be done, the truth is that’s Jhingan. Much like Rishabh Pant walking out with a fracture in Manchester or Chris Woakes coming out to bat with a dislocated shoulder, Jhingan decided to play on with a broken jaw. If you try and understand these decisions scientifically, you won’t be able to. Medically, these are wrong calls. No doctor would ever ask Pant or Jhingan to play on. But they do. And that’s what sport is all about. These are calls taken by individuals on the spur of the moment, and often times, they defy logic. But then, that’s why these are audacious calls that go down in history as decisions that stand out.
So when did he think he could make it back, I asked Sandesh. “Paaji, I have ordered some special masks which I will use for the next few months may be,” he told me. “I don’t exactly know when, but I can tell you I absolutely want to play for India in October and will do everything possible to do that. It is my duty, and I will answer the call. I have always pushed myself, for that’s what I want to do. No one has ever forced me. But you know some things come from within. The football pitch is where I belong. Wearing that blue jersey is the biggest honour I have earned, and I will do everything to live up to it. So you will see me start training sooner than later, and with all the prayers, I will be back for India in October for sure.”
This is what makes sport what it is. Men like Jhingan, who are all heart. They will do everything to make the jersey proud, and that’s also why he is a leader in the change room. Under Khalid Jamil, India have shown fight. Jhingan epitomises it, and going forward, this is what should define the team – all heart and more than 100 percent effort.
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