Braveheart Deepak takes the field against New Zealand

We have seen Anil Kumble bowl with a broken jaw and South African skipper Graeme Smith come out to bat with a fractured hand. On Saturday, Indian forward Deepak Thakur added to the list of gutsy sportsmen as he braved himself to take the field against New Zealand in the four-nations Punjab Gold Cup in Chandigarh while sustaining a gruesome cut to his chin.

Thakur, who made his comeback to the Indian side under coach Harendra Singh after two years in oblivion, was stretchered off the field within ten minutes in Saturday’s game. Sandeep Singh’s slap shot took a wicked deflection of a New Zealand defender’s stick and hit Thakur on his chin — resulting in a deep cut which needed stitches.

But the 28-year-old southpaw from Chandigarh did not give up. “It was paining like hell. And the weather conditions didn’t help either. The doctor advised me not to play but I had to,” Thakur said.

Thakur played an important role in India’s 2-0 win but had to undergo a small plastic surgery after the match. But for him, playing the match was nothing short of a matter of life and death. “This was my chance. I had been waiting for this opportunity for the last two years and couldn’t have let it gone by because of this small injury,” he said.

Thakur did not take part in India’s second match on Sunday against Holland and is uncertain for the rest of the tournament.