Amit Rohidas Interview | I made a comeback in 2017 because of the HIL

Amit Rohidas has been one of the core players of the Indian men’s team for the last five to six years. As the best person for the rushers job during penalty corners in the Indian team, the 31-year-old defender has proved his value time and again. The year 2017 was an important landmark for Amit for he made a strong comeback to the Indian team and has never looked back since. All thanks to HIL where he represented Kalinga Lancers. Lancers went on to win the tournament in 2017.

The two-time bronze medallist in Olympics is now is getting ready for HIL as part of Tamil Nadu Dragons to be held in Ranchi and Rourkela from December 28. “I am a big fan of the HIL because it supported me to come back to the Indian team. After that, I continued. I will try to maintain my fitness and skills which will help me in the future,” he told The Hindu in Chennai before starting his training session. Excerpts:

You have completed 200 internationals in the recent friendly against Germany in New Delhi. When you look back, how do you feel?

I was surprised because no one knew and I didn’t know either. I knew that the last 200 match was going to be 199. But when I reached the ground, Vikram(pal) (Competition Manager of Hockey India) bhai told me that I was going to score 200. Everyone was shocked including the coaching staff and our teammates. When they told me that I was going to complete 200, I was very happy. Because it is a big thing to play 200 matches for the country. At this level, I am happy that I have completed 200 for the country.

How do you see your career? How have you evolved in the 11 years since you made your Senior International debut in 2013?

Yes. I made my senior debut in 2013. After that, in 2014, my last World League Grand Final was in January. After that, I had a three-year break. I made a comeback in 2017, thanks to the Hockey India League. Otherwise, I don’t know where I would be today.

I am a big fan of the Hockey India League because it supported me to come back to the Indian team. After that, I continued. I will try to maintain my fitness and skills which will help me in the future.

You were out of the team for three years. Were you injured or out of form?

I didn’t have an injury. It’s ups and downs any sportsperson faces. You learn a lot from that. I don’t know why I was out. But I continued my hard work. I made a comeback in 2017 because of the HIL

What improvements did you make in 2017?

I continued to focus on my basics. I maintained my fitness. You can make a comeback if you have the age. Otherwise, it’s difficult. I played in HIL and the department tournaments. If you don’t maintain your fitness, you can’t do anything.

How was the three years being out of the Indian team?

The three years were a difficult time. It’s difficult to make a comeback. My family supported me a lot. They didn’t let me down. They told me to believe in myself and work hard.

Any changes you made in your game to make a strong comeback?

I was trying to give my 100% in my basics. I was getting results from that. We (Kalinga Lancers) won the HIL.

What do you think about the Tamil Nadu Dragons team in the HIL?

I feel proud. I am happy that the Dragons team has given me an opportunity. We are a good side. We will work on the plan the coaches have given us.

Jip Janssen was part of the gold medal-winning team in the Netherlands team in the 2024 Paris Olympics. He is a very good defender. There are other good foreign players. How do you feel about that?

Jip Janssen is my good friend. Definitely, ours will be a good combination. We will do well in the HIL. It will be fun to play with them.

Odisha won the Senior National men’s championships in Chennai recently. In the team, many players hail from Sundergarh where you were born.

We (Odisha) have been working hard for many years. We won the bronze medal in 2016 in the 5-a-side Senior Men’s Nationals. We were hoping to win the gold medal and very glad that we got it this time. We put in a lot of effort. The boys played well.

You won a bronze medal under head coach Graham Reid in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics & again a bronze with Craig Fulton at Paris.

Every coach has a different style of playing. Fulton was both an attacking and defensive coach. If we focus on attacking, we are not paying attention to the defence. If we are not paying attention to the defence, we might concede a goal. Fulton saw both parts equally. Reid was different. But he also had both attacking and defensive structures. Both coaches were similar in many ways.

How do you see India’s defensive structure and how did you deal with the suspension in the match against Great Britain in the quarterfinals?

When I got my red card after 17 minutes, there were 43 minutes left. We worked a lot on that. Especially, when someone gets a card, it is 2 minutes, 5 minutes or 10 minutes. What should be our plan after that? We kept doing that plan.

We were getting success. But we saw more. After I got my red card, we could not attack but kept our house safe. Our planning was 100% successful.

Do you think that this is the best Indian team in the last decade or so. Winning two back to back medals in Olympics is not easy.

After we won the bronze medal in Paris, we went back to our homes. Everyone had different functions to attend. It was a busy schedule. I could not stay at home for a day. I left in the morning and came back in the evening. After 20 days, there was the Asian Champions Trophy (ACT). We had to manage. But once India called us, we had to come. We could not leave. At ACT, we had six senior players and the remaining were juniors. We were guiding the new players to play with a free mind. There is no pressure on us.

Will HIL be a selection of sorts for the FIH Pro League?

I think the selectors will select the team from HIL.

Are there any areas of improvement in the Indian team?

There has been a lot of improvement. From the facilities to equipments, there has been improvement in everything. Gradually, the team’s performance has improved. Hockey India, the Government of Odisha, and Sports Authority of India have worked hard. Now, you can see the improvement. There will be more improvement. We will play HIL and the players will get better. That’s the main target of HIL.

In the Paris Olympics, the conversion rate of penalty corners has been quite low. Is it because the rushers and overall defence have got better?

For example, if I am the first usher, the opponent has to do all the analysis. They have to watch our videos. For that, we are working hard. The opponent also is working hard. Sometimes, their plan is successful and sometimes not successful. This happens in a game. Sometimes, our drag flicker scores a good goal and sometimes not. If he doesn’t score a goal in penalty corner, then we have to convert it into a field goal. We have to keep this balance.

Your coordination with Harmanpreet Singh has been very good.

We are in the same core group. We have the same relationship with everyone. We don’t lack anything. We talk freely. If you have any problem or if you need anything, we talk to each other. On the ground, the more you are involved with the players, the better your performance is. That’s why you can see the medals.

You had your hockey lessons at Panposh Sports Hostel in Rourkela where the HIL will be held. How does it feel?

I joined the hostel in 2004. It will be great because I have played many matches there. All the fans are great.

How come the fans regularly throng to the Stadiums for all International hockey matches in Odisha?

The atmosphere is different there. Hockey is very famous in Sundargarh district. Hockey players come to Odisha to learn, to enjoy and to support.

Host India lost the series to Germany in a shootout. The lessons learnt…

Our target was to give more opportunities to younger players and showcase our potential. You must have seen which players were playing, who were resting. If we don’t give them (the youngsters) an opportunity, when will they improve? We have to show them a good performance and lead them. We lost the first match, but in the second match, we won but lost in the shootout with a good margin. We have to improve from there. We have to learn from there. We’ve learnt a lot from there.

What are your personal goals?

I don’t look far ahead. Need to take it one match at a time. At the moment, it is HIL.

Who is your inspiration among the defenders?

My inspiration is Dilip Tirkey. I consider him my idol. Among foreigners, it is Germany’s Moritz Furste. I played with him in HIL as an opponent and as a teammate. His behaviour, his game sense. I have learnt a lot from him.

Your HIL experience?

For three years, I played with Ranchi Rays and Kalinga Lancers. Among youngsters, all of them who are selected are good. All the teams have youngsters. The system is made so that the youngsters get chances to show their performance. So that they can lead the Indian team in the future. The system and rules are good. It’s time to get together as a team and perform well in the HIL. As a senior player, I will share as much as I can. I will treat everyone equally.