Recovering From Injury, Defender Jhingan Working Towards Writing Book

The 26-year-old defender feels it is better to come back stronger than sooner.

As Indian footballer Sandesh Jhingan continues to recover from a ACL injury, the footballer is focusing towards working on his first book. Jhingan has been sidelined due to the injury for the last three months and as part of his New Year’s resolution, the 26-year-old defender feels it is better to come back stronger than sooner.

“I am working on writing my first book. It’s been in mind for quite some time. This time I have promised myself that I need to finish it off this year. It will be a collection of short stories,” he said. “I have finished a couple of them and some more remain. I have also been writing poems for long, but they won’t be a part of this book.”

As for his injury and the road to recovery, Jhingan said: “The surgery under Dr. Anant Joshi went off well. I was operated on November 7, 2019, and the rehab kicked off thereafter. To achieve milestones, you need to be patient. So far I am happy with the progress and need to work more on getting back my strength.”

Jhingan, who plays for the Kerala Blasters, says that although the incident hasn’t made him much stronger mentally, it is always important to remain in the right frame of mind.

“I have had a serious injury before as a 17-year-old when I broke my ankle, and was out of action for around a year. I strongly believe that the mental strength of a footballer is never tested to limits for his prowess on and off the field,” Jhingan said.

“I have been to hospitals and have seen people fighting for their lives. To me, that’s mental toughness. I feel I am extremely lucky where I am going through a phase where everything is being taken care of. I have a job with a club. I am lucky.”