For four years, Jagdeep Bains thought he could never step foot on the basketball court again. He was confined to his bed with unbearable pain shooting through his body.
But half a decade after the career threatening back injury caused during a 3x3 game in China in 2012, Jagdeep is not just back on the court but led Punjab to a gold medal finish at the senior basketball national championships in Bhavnagar, Gujarat, last week.
It was Punjab’s seventh gold at the senior level but their first in seven years, their last win coming in 2012 when Jagdeep was injury free and looking forward to a long career.
But all that changed with injury and Bains explains how rough that period was. “I just thought of ending my life in those four years. I had a good start to my career, winning almost everything but was bed ridden for three years. I had no patience.”
The 33-year-old was the darling of Indian basketball before a stiff spine caused his career to fade. He would lead a talented Punjab team with his swift drive-ins, speed and on-court intelligence. In Bhavnagar, he was not as brisk as he used to be but still gave Punjab the extra edge to win gold.
“Jagdeep added a great deal to the team,” said fellow player Amrit Pal Singh. “He has all the skills but now he was fully fit and was able to play for most part of the games. His experience matters.”
Amrit Pal too was returning to the team. After the 2012 nationals, he moved to Uttarakhand after ONGC offered him the job. Other players on the state team shifted allegiances as Punjab did not offer jobs at the time.
“The major reason for the fall (of Punjab’s performance) was that Punjab did not have jobs, so the players opted to play for other states which gave them jobs,” Bains says.
“That is why this gold medal is important. People were writing off Punjab in basketball, but we showed everyone that this state still has the talent,” he says.
In the last seven years, Punjab failed to reach the final of the Nationals and finished a lowly eighth in 2014. But in 2019, Punjab had everything it needed to win the gold.
Apart from a fit Bains and Amrit Pal bringing their experience, youngsters like Arshpreet Bhullar dominated the court with strong support from talented youngsters like Princepal Singh and Garry Gill.
Bhullar, who had a breakout tournament, had been part of the state team for five years but this was his finest performance. “A senior at the national camp in Bengaluru motivated me but in a negative way. He kept bugging me that ‘I’m not fit for the team, I don’t work hard’. That motivated me and I wanted to prove myself,” he said.
For the next 12 months, Bhullar was at the gym in Jalandhar with his father, a former national level discus thrower. “I worked on my fitness, shooting and when we left for the nationals, we had the belief that we could win because this was the first time we played like a team.”
But it wasn’t a smooth ride for the team in Bhavnagar. After winning their first game, Punjab faced defending champions Tamil Nadu in the group game and lost 59-80. That had a severe impact on the players especially the younger ones.
Punjab faced Uttrakhand, a team with three gold medals in last six years, in the quarter-finals but managed to beat them 74-53. A semi-final meeting with Tamil Nadu once again called for a new challenge.
The champions handed them a 70-66 defeat. Bhullar then scored 24 points in the final as they defeated Services 74-65 to clinch the title.
“Before the semi-final we thought ‘not this time’. Tamil Nadu was a strong team but we were confident in the semi-final,” Bhullar said.
Change of positions
The return of Bains and Amrit Pal meant that Punjab had a strong centre and the coach moved Bhullar to point guard position where he made the most by scoring crucial three-pointers.
Bains explains how the move helped. “Arsh [Bhullar] had a great tournament and he is the one to look out for now. He was able to express himself on the court. Earlier he used to be shy and not play his game. This time he was a feeder, he shot from outside and was handling the game.
“The 2011 team had Amrit, Amjyot, Rajbeer and Palpreet. Some left the game and the state team became weak. There was no feeder and centre, who is very critical. Amrit filled that void now,” he added.
Amrit Pal too accepts that moving back to Punjab was a good decision. “I won the gold medal with Uttarakhand when I was with ONGC but it is best to win with Punjab. Whatever I have achieved in life is because of this state and it is great that I could give back [to the state].”
The 28-year-old was offered a job with Punjab Police as a sub-inspector in 2018 and he accepted it instantly. It made him eligible to play for Punjab again. He was playing his first tournament in nine months having recovered from an Anterior Cruciate Ligament injury. He was awarded the Most Valuable Player of the tournament in Bhavnagar.
“I don’t know why the team could not win. But once I came back I realised how important this medal is to everyone. The team had a mix of youth and experience and that worked in our favour. Everything fell in place throughout the tournament and we had the confidence that we can do it this time.”
The belief is shared by other teammates as well. Gurvinder Gill, another youngster who impressed all, Punjab is back to dominate the game.
“People did write off Punjab and said that they lose in crunch matches and did not have the gold for the last seven years. The result this year means we are back and this team can dominate,” Gill said.
The players are back at their training centres, preparing for the upcoming Federation Cup. The teams now wants to show that winning gold at the national championships was not an one-off thing.
Bains, who is currently at the NIS Patiala for his coaching diploma, says this team can go far if they continue to train together. Bhullar concurs.
“This is the beginning. Punjab was dominant in the sport. We want to win for Punjab,” Bhullar says.
