Wasn't expecting call to national football camp: 'Fit-again' Bikash Jairu

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The months after an injury and waiting on the sidelines is always the hardest phase for any player. For footballer Bikash Jairu it was no different.

A spate of injuries in a span of few months saw him come in and out of the Indian Team, even Club Football. It all began with a fateful fall in the match against Iran where he crashed on his shoulder. An injury to the fibular bone, a recurrence of shoulder injury during the match against Puerto Rico and the subsequent injury to his left knee made sure he missed almost the entire Club Football season.

The going was tough, it was a struggle filled with conflicting emotions and self-doubt. "It was a dark place to be in. I felt very disappointed and my confidence was low," he says. "I have seen others get injured and talked to them about how they dealt with their recovery. It was frustrating but I was patient," he murmurs.

"The National Team medical staff always monitored my recovery. When you have someone caring for you so much, it motivates you further," he echoed. "If I have been able to recover fast, I owe it to them."

"My mother was also always by my side adding to my confidence," he adds.

Jairu doesn't deny that the phase had an effect on him as a person. "I pray no one suffers any injury, ever."

All his hard work and patience finally paid off when he came back with a match against Chennai City FC for East Bengal in the Hero I-League; and he admits that the call from National Coach Stephen Constantine took him by surprise. "I wasn't expecting a call to the National Camp. I was delighted with the news. I hope I can repay the coach's faith on me."

"Nepal and Kyrgyz Republic will be important matches for us," he quips. "The video sessions, the dietary plans and the training methods are what I enjoy a lot in the National Camp. I follow the dietary plan even when I am away. It helps a lot," he concludes.