Birendra Lakra undergoes surgery, in race to get fit for Rio

Key hockey defender Birendra Lakra on Thursday underwent knee surgery at Mumbai’s SportsMed Facility under renowned orthopaedic specialist and sport injury expert Dr Anant Joshi.

The 26-year-old suffered a ligament rupture in the right knee during the Hockey India League Season Four last month, ruling him out of the tournament, and also putting a question mark on his availability for the Rio Olympics in August.

Lakra is one of the pivotal members in defence and Hockey India is desperate to get him fit for the quadrennial event. Initial plans suggested that the Odisha player would fly to the United States for treatment, before HI decided to get the treatment done in Mumbai,

Said Dr Joshi from Mumbai, “The surgery on Birendra Lakra was done this morning. In medical terms, we call it the anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACL). It is a common sport injury but requires time to recover. His ligament is broken and in such a situation when the foot is planted, any twisted body movement becomes near possible.

“We have done the reconstruction surgery on the knee to restore its function. He will need to wait for three months before beginning his training and a rehabilitation programme.”

Lakra thus will miss out on the Azlan Shah tournament in April, and also the proposed tour of Europe in May. The national squad will gather in Bengaluru on March 7 to begin preparations for Rio, and chief coach Roelant Oltmans will have a lot on his mind with key players carrying injuries. Besides Lakra, midfielder Devindar Walmiki (shoulder), striker Lalit Upadhyay (ankle) and goalkeeper P.R. Sreejesh (shoulder) are also undergoing rehabilitation.

There is no doubt that without Lakra, the defence structure will have to undergo several changes. India, who have had a perennial problem in defence, have looked stable since Lakra’s arrival two years ago. In 2015, he was named the player of the year in Hockey India’s annual awards underlining his calibre and talent.

Added Dr Joshi, “There are cases when players recover a little early too. It is good that he has a dedicated physiotherapist in Shrikant Iyengar (Team India physio) and a proper exercise regime can see him back on the field in four months.”