LUCKNOW, July 31 -- Ever since his debut for the Indian men's hockey team in 2021, midfielder Rajkumar Pal hasn't looked back. He was part of the bronze-winning team at the Asian Champions Trophy in Dhaka in 2021, won a second bronze medal at the 2022 Asia Cup, finished ninth at the 2023 Men's World Cup, won a gold medal at the 2024 Asian Champions Trophy in China, and then bagged a bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Pal, who is from Meghbaran Hockey Academy in Karampur (Ghazipur), Uttar Pradesh, however, faced his first setback last week when he missed the lineup for the upcoming Hockey World Cup beginning August 15 in the Netherlands and Belgium.

Certainly, it was a disappointment for Pal who comes from a humble background, and ...