I got injections, blood removed from ankle: Pandya recalls painful recuperation after WC injury
Mumbai, Mar 17: 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.
"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.
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 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).
Nonetheless, whether we win or not, all I wanted (was) to be there for my child. Obviously, I missed out and that is something which is always going to (be) heavy on my heart," he detailed.
Pandya said he had started preparations for the 50-over World Cup more than a year in advance.
"I am such (a) kind of cricketer who doesn't start 2-3 months before; I started my journey one year back for this World Cup. I already planned my routine one-and-half year before and worked accordingly."
But now, Pandya, who had led Gujarat Titans to IPL title in 2022, has another heavy job at his hands, leading five-time champions Mumbai Indians in IPL 2024.
"From my journey as a young lad in Baroda to Mumbai, this city has taught me growth, instilling in me humility and resilience. The city's love and teachings are invaluable to me, shaping me into the cricketer I am today.
"Mumbai always challenges you to be better and now with the IPL, I have returned home after two years," he said.
Pandya had joined the Titans ahead of the 2022 season, but he returned to Mumbai before this edition and replaced Rohit Sharma as the team's captain.
The Baroda man said the IPL 2015 season with MI was pivotal to transforming his career.
"Coming from Baroda, it was a life-changing experience for me when I remember the 2015 IPL. That year was pivotal in my career. Representing Mumbai Indians amidst seasoned players was a turning point for me. When you get a chance to play with such established players on such a big platform, your life changes.
"I was fortunate enough that I was able to contribute on a much larger scale in the knockout games. Bagging two 'Man of the Match' awards during crucial knockout games was surreal. It marked the beginning of an extraordinary journey for me."
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PIL in SC seeking action against racial violence targeting northeastern citizens
New Delhi (PTI): A PIL was filed in the Supreme Court seeking judicial intervention to address the "continuing constitutional failure" to prevent and respond to racial discrimination and violence against citizens from northeastern states and other frontier regions.
The PIL was filed on December 28 in the backdrop of the brutal killing of Anjel Chakma, a 24-year-old MBA student from Tripura, who succumbed on December 27 to grievous injuries sustained in a racially motivated attack in Selaqui area of Dehradun.
Anjel from Unakoti district's Machmara went to Dehradun after completing his graduation in Holy Cross School, Agartala, to pursue MBA, where he was stabbed to death in the presence of his younger brother Michael.
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The family members of Chakma want capital punishment or at least life imprisonment for all the accused involved in the incident. Anoop Prakash Awasthi, a Delhi-based lawyer, has made the Centre and all the states and Union territories as parties to the PIL.
"That the present writ petition is being filed seeking issuance of writ under Article 32 of the Constitution seeking issuance of writ in the nature of mandamus, order, direction or any other appropriate writ for the violation of fundamental rights as under article 14, 19 (1) a & (g) and 21, and thus seeking judicial intervention to address the issue of racial discrimination and violence against Indian citizens from the north-eastern states and other frontier regions of India," the plea said.
"We are Indians. What certificate should we show to prove that?" words that tragically became the last recorded assertion of Anjel Chakma about his constitutional belonging before the confrontation escalated into brutal violence, it said while recounting the offence leading to his death.
The plea referred to media reports about Chakma's death.
The attackers allegedly assaulted and stabbed both brothers and Chakma sustained severe injuries to his neck and spine, remained unconscious throughout his treatment, and died after more than fourteen days in intensive medical care, it said, adding his death triggered widespread anguish, protests, and demands for justice across the country.
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"Issue an appropriate writ (ad interim till a legislation is made) in the nature of formulating comprehensive guidelines, recognising 'racial slur' as a separate category of hate crimes and determining punishment for the same," the plea said.
It sought a direction to the Centre and the states to create a "nodal agency or a permanent body or commission or directorate" at the central level as well as at the level of each state where such racial crimes can be reported and redressed.
"Direct the respondents at central level as well as at the level of each state to make and create a dedicated special police unit in each district/metropolitan area to address the racial crimes," it said.
The plea sought a direction to the Centre and the states to organise "workshops and debates at educational institutes on the issue of prevailing racial discrimination and ways to redress the same".
The petition said that despite the unmistakable hate-based and racial motivation behind the crime, India's criminal justice system lacks any mechanism to recognise or record racial bias at the initial stage of investigation.
As a result, such offences are treated as ordinary crimes, "erasing motive, diluting constitutional gravity, and perpetuating a pattern of impunity", it said.
The plea said that the killing of Chakma is not an isolated incident but part of a long-standing pattern of racial abuse and violence against citizens from the northeastern states.
The petition recalls earlier cases, including the death of Nido Taniam in 2014 and numerous assaults on students and workers in metropolitan cities, incidents that have been formally acknowledged by the Centre in parliamentary replies but, according to the petitioner, remain unaddressed through any dedicated legislative or institutional framework.
