It’s been two days since he underwent surgery on his right eye at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here, and the doctors are non-committal on his complete recovery, but all that India goalkeeper Baljit Singh Dadhwal seems worried about are the months he will be forced to stay away from hockey.

While the doctors have decided to keep him under observation for at least another 10 days before deciding on the next step in the treatment, Baljit is already fretting about when he can get out of hospital. “For someone training almost five-six hours a day, every day, being confined to a bed is the biggest punishment,” Baljit told The Indian Express.

The situation is grim, the doctors say, but Baljit has a smile on his face right through the interaction, as if determined not to let the seriousness get to him. The 28-year old is concerned, his father Sarabjit Singh tells us, but he still only thinks of the sport.

“He always wanted to win the World Cup for his country,” Sarabjit says. “He used to tell me, ‘Is baar hum kuch kar ke dikhayenge’ (this time we will prove ourselves).” Baljit cuts in: “Bas jaldi se thik hoke wapas khelna hai (I only want to get well soon and get back to playing).”

In fact, Baljit had even postponed his marriage, scheduled for last October, for after the World Cup. “Game ke liye humne sab kuch postpone kar diya, is injury ne game ko hi postpone kar diya (I postponed everything for the game, this injury has postponed the game itself),” he says, always smiling.

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