There was a time when Deepika Sehrawat could only watch from the sidelines as Indian hockey moved forward without her. A Grade 3 hamstring tear in August 2025 forced the drag-flicker into a long rehabilitation process, keeping her away from the game she loved for almost 10 months.

The hardest part was not just the pain or the physical struggle. It was watching her teammates compete while she waited for her chance to return.

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At the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Deepika made that wait count. She scored 21 goals as India won the women's hockey gold medal and secured direct qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Moreover, the achievement was special not only because of the number of goals scored, but also because of everything the player had to face in order to achieve this goal.

The Months When Hockey Was Out Of Reach

Deepika suffered the injury while practising her drag-flick, one of the most important parts of her game. The setback ruled her out of the Asia Cup and later kept her away from the World Cup qualifiers.

An athlete who is used to training and participation in competitions faces a different set of issues during rehabilitation. Deepika has mentioned her frustration at watching the Indian team, away from the field, as well as her anger in those moments, which even made her cry.

This was a challenging time for Deepika, followed by the slow recovery process. She had to be patient to get back to hockey. Although not participating in major competitions was hard, Deepika knew that rushing back may aggravate the situation.

A Return That Brought Her Confidence Back

Deepika finally returned to international hockey at the FIH Women's Nations Cup in June 2026. Against the United States, she scored twice from penalty corners as India fought back from a two-goal deficit.

She finished the tournament with six goals and shared the top-scorer award as India lifted the title. More importantly, she had shown herself that she could compete again at the highest level.

The Nations Cup was the first step. The Asian Games would become the defining chapter of her comeback.

From Rehabilitation To 21 Goals

Deepika began the Asian Games in devastating form, scoring eight goals in India's 19-0 win over Uzbekistan. She followed it with a hat-trick against Indonesia and then struck nine times against Thailand.

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She finished the tournament with 21 goals, including 19 from drag-flicks, establishing herself as one of India's biggest match-winners.

India eventually defeated China in the final to claim their first women's hockey gold at the Asian Games in 44 years.

A year earlier, Deepika had been fighting to return to the pitch. Now, she was helping India reach the top of the continent.