India all-rounder and MI skipper Pandya reveals tough rehab journey after freak injury during ODI World Cup; says blood had to be drawn from ankle
MI skipper Hardik Pandya posted this training picture on Instagram
In his desperation to regain fitness for the remaining World Cup matches last year, India all-rounder Hardik Pandya said he resorted to extreme measures like taking multiple injections and removing blood clots from his ankle but pushing the boundaries only aggravated the injury, forcing him to sit out of the showpiece.
Pandya injured his ankle during India’s fourth World Cup game against Bangladesh while bowling his first over of that match, and had to limp off the field with the help of the team physio. He did not play any further part in the tournament.
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Injections and swelling
“I got injections done on my ankles at three different places and I had to remove blood from my ankle because of the swelling. I didn’t want to give up [on playing the remainder of the World Cup]; for the team I will give my best. If there is one percent chance that I can be with the team I will try my best,” Pandya told Star Sports.
However, Pandya said he was aware that pushing himself hard could bring adverse results, but that’s the risk he took to be with the team during a home World Cup.
“I was aware that [if] I keep pushing myself I might get injured for [a] long time. For me, that was never the answer.
“While I was pushing myself, I had this re-occurrence [of injury] and it became a three-month injury. I was not able to walk but I was trying to run [at] that point of time,” Pandya recalled.
Recuperation took longer
At that time, the 30-year-old was confident of coming back in five days, but the recuperation took much longer than he expected.
“When I came out [of the field following injury], I informed the team that I will be back in five days. I tried to push myself for 10 days, took pain-killers to make a comeback and rejoin the team. But this was a freak injury and very few people know about it.
“My injury got extended and I had to take more time because when I got injured, it was a 25-day rehab injury,” he added.
Pandya said that not being able to play fully in the World Cup would always weigh heavily on his heart.
“For me the biggest pride is to play for the country. This was my baby; playing the World Cup at home is my child. So, I wanted to be there for them [the team],” he said.
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