If I hit with fear, I can’t hit with power: Deepika on comeback trail

No player wants to ever get injured. What’s even worse is getting injured just ahead of a major tournament, and that’s exactly what happened to Indian women’s hockey team drag-flicker Deepika Sehrawat last year.

It was a day before India were set to travel for Asia Cup when she was practising her flicks that her left foot slipped and she sustained a grade 3 hamstring tear. It was serious and frightening.

“When it happened, I felt like my leg had completely given way. I thought maybe I won't be able to play,” said Deepika before travelling with the team to Buenos Aires where they will play four matches with the Argentina national team starting April 13.

“It takes time when something like this happens, so a lot of things started running through my mind — what will happen, how will it happen, how bad is it. Even a small thing feels big. And mentally, it really affects you.”

But rather than getting bogged down by it, the youngster from Haryana put her head down and made all possible efforts to get back on her feet and start doing what she does best — taking drag flicks.

“When I was injured, I kept thinking — when will I hit my first drag flick again? Everyone kept telling me, to start at 40% and not go all out. However, I was excited from within and wanted to hit it at full power,” said Deepika as she looked back on the camp before the World Cup qualifiers where she took her first drag flick post injury.

“I did it gradually though and after two sessions or so, I started to find my rhythm. When I was with the team in Hyderabad also, I tried it.”

While Deepika still feels a stinging sensation at times because of the injury, she has stopped worrying about it and is focussed on giving her full effort.

“The doctor told me that on days with heavy workload, it might get a bit irritated, but there’s nothing to be scared of. And if I hit with fear, I won’t be able to hit with full power anyway,” said the 22-year-old who starred for India during the Asian Champions Trophy in 2024.

Despite her progress, she knows the work doesn’t stop.

“Even now, before every session, I go to the gym and do a little extra on my own, mobilise more and work on it,” she added. “It’s nothing special. I just go half an hour before everyone else and do the main exercises assigned to me.”

Fortunately, she did not require surgery, though she has undergone Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) treatment twice so far. It still wasn’t easy. Being away from the team and doing fitness work alone took its toll.

“It was tough, being so far away and doing all the fitness work alone. You don’t feel like doing it. But I think the entire staff and the team motivated me a lot. And most of all, Savita di. She had her own ankle surgery at the same time, but despite her situation, she was always there beside me,” said Deepika, who was also part of the victorious Delhi SG Pipers team during the Women’s Hockey India League this year, though she had limited game time.

For now, though, she’s just excited to be back in the team and playing under coach Sjoerd Marijne, as he prepares them ahead of three crucial tournaments.

“We need to see how we can be even better, what we can focus on, what we maybe didn’t do well in the qualifiers, and how we can improve on those areas,” she said from the airport before departing for South America for the upcoming matches against Argentina.




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