India's ace wrestler Vinesh Phogat has undergone successful knee surgery in Mumbai and will now aim to undergo rehabilitation in order to script a comeback on the wrestling mat soon. The knee injury forced her to pull out of the upcoming Asian Games in Hangzhou and has jolted India's hopes of bagging a medal in wrestling at the marquee event.
Vinesh, who has made quite a lot of headlines recently due to her active involvement in the protests against the outgoing Wrestling Federation of India president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, had a direct entry to the Hangzhou Asian Games but suffered a knee injury while training on August 13.
Vinesh took to 'X', formerly Twitter, and posted pictures with her doctor Dinshaw Pardiwala, who performed the surgery on her knee alongside the other medical staff.
"Whenever I have fallen, you have stood by my side against all odds.
"Just like my faith in god, my faith in you is beyond measurable. Today I look at you as not just my doctor but someone I look up to for life-advice. Every conversation with you gives me confidence, hopefulness and clarity. I thank you with everything sir. I'm sure we will bounce back stronger than before and look back at this period as a small stepping stone to what waits ahead," her caption read.
Vinesh has been one of the most top-performing wrestlers in the women's circuit for India. The 28-year-old has been phenomenal at the Commonwealth Games, in particular, with gold medals at the 2014 (Glasgow), 2018 (Gold Coast) and 2022 (Birmingham) editions. She won a bronze at the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon and changed her medal colour to gold at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta. Her absence will serve as an opportunity for other emerging female wrestlers to make a name for themselves at the upcoming continental event in Hangzhou.
