India, Oct. 7 -- Sandesh Jhingan's tryst with the school of hard knocks continues, literally. The latest in a career that has seen him bounce back twice from anterior cruciate ligament injuries - the first kept him out for 13 months, the second 10 - was a cheekbone fracture that also needed surgery and almost a month away from football. Train too soon and the bone can break again, he was told.

The injury also meant that for the first time in 14 years as a professional, Jhingan needed adjusting to a face mask. "I was waiting for it (the mask) so badly. I wanted to play as soon as I can," he said.

As the world knows from Kylian Mbappe in the Euros last year, a mask can limit vision, block sweat and be an "absolute horror". For Jhingan, th...