Jyoti takes it on the shin, in race against time

With time, Jyoti Randhawa will probably even laugh about it, on how he cheated certain death, but right now the incident keeps coming back, frame by frame, and the plastered right anterior tibia (shinbone) a reminder of how lightly he got away.

When he took off, sometime in January, to an area adjoining Lucknow, it was meant to be one of those non-golfing trips he likes to make every now and then. Whether it’s skydiving, shooting, snorkelling or in this case, taming the terrain on the ATV (all-terrain vehicle) --- his companion for a while now --- the pursuits are claimed to be of help in golf.

Starting out in a group, soon he was on his own. Spotting a challenge ahead --- a steep incline, he decided to take it on. At first, all seemed well but he lost control of the machine soon after. His instincts as a sportsman told him to let go, and he did, and that should have completed the disengagement. But perched awkwardly, the machine started to roll towards him and was soon over him.

The weight of the monstrous contraption could have easily left Jyoti a bloody mass of flesh and bone, and while he could make out the shinbone had snapped into half, it could have been far worse had help not been close at hand.

After taking stock, it’s now a race to get fit for the Indian Open later this month, which he’s won thrice. Training started last month but the period of inactivity has left the upper body weak, making it difficult to do pull-ups and push-ups.

Whether the eight-time winner on the Asian Tour makes the deadline of March 17-20 remains to be seen, but Jyoti, under close supervision of coach Pritam Saikia, is working towards making the quads, hamstring and butt muscles stronger.

Right now, practice is restricted to work around the greens --- chipping and putting. Once the cast comes off, he will hit the range, but more importantly, the endeavour will be to regain stability below the knee.