New Delhi: Indian defender Amit Rohidas has inked a tattoo of his Tokyo Olympics bronze medal on his right hand as he was one of the integral members of the men’s hockey team which pulled back general interest towards the sport that was believed to be on the wane. The defender often looks at the inscription on his hand when in need of motivation from setbacks.
It just happened a few months ago when he was sanctioned with a red card during India’s quarterfinal match against Great Britain for a deliberate challenge on forward Will Calnan, hitting on the latter’s face. Furthermore, the Odisha player was suspended for a match, forcing him to sit out of the semifinal against Germany, which India lost by 2-3 margin in an enthralling contest.
The 31-year-old has said that he has made peace with that episode after India claimed their successive bronze medal in the French Capital with a 2-1 triumph over Spain, though there was an initial regret for letting his team down in a 10-man tough battle against Great Britain.
“After we won the bronze medal, I forget everything right there. If we keep that memory stored in our head then it kind of becomes difficult to come out of that phase,” Amit told News9 Sports on the sidelines of India’s two-match bilateral series against Germany in New Delhi that ended on Thursday.
“There is a regret for sure at that point because that semifinal match was a crucial. If you miss it then somewhere it upsets you as the target was the gold medal,” he said, adding that he has plans to get the Paris bronze medal inked on the other hand someday.
On Thursday, Amit completed 200 appearances for the national team during their 5-3 win in the second Test match at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium.
When the anchor announced Amit’s special moment as the two teams assembled for the national anthems just before kick off time, he vivaciously waved his hand before the crowd.
“I am thrilled to complete my 200 international matches in front of home crowd in India, here in the capital at the iconic Major Dhyan Chand Stadium. It been a great ride with the Indian team and I look forward to many more memorable outing,” the two-time Olympic medallist said.
200 and counting! 💯💯
A huge congratulations to Amit Rohidas on reaching his 200th cap for Team India today! 🇮🇳
A true testament to his passion and commitment on the field.🏑
Here’s to many more moments of brilliance! 👏🔥#HockeyIndia #IndiaKaGame #AmitRohidas.
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.… pic.twitter.com/I4tcxKaClF— Hockey India (@TheHockeyIndia) October 24, 2024
Amit has been a vital cog of the Indian defence for more than a decade, having made his senior team debut at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup 2013 in Ipoh, Malaysia. His experience in the Indian team will always be overshadowed in the persona of captain Harmanpreet Singh and the stature of Manpreet Singh (the former skipper).
Amit was one of the three members from the Indian team who have already played a match at the National Stadium in Delhi with Manpreet and Mandeep Singh being the other two.
The 2021 Arjuna awardee was key for India in holding the Germans in the second half after goals galore for the Men in Blue in the third quarter, turning the tables on its head.
He has also been important in India’s penalty corner set-up, being the first rusher on most occasions. When skipper Harmanpreet Singh was off the court on Wednesday, Amit took over the responsibility of striking on goal though he couldn’t score.
Amit reveals on most struggling phase
Amit, who is one of the 11 members of the Indian team to be part of the back-to-back podium finishes in Tokyo and Paris, has seen many tough days to overcome and the red-card in the Summer Games won’t top that list.
“There are two parts of my struggling periods when I struggled in the childhood days. We didn’t have three times of food and with utmost challenges we could manage to eat twice in a day. My parents have worked hard as labourers to help me reach at this stage,” the 31-year-old recalled.
Amit was out of the national team between 2014 and 2017. But thanks to his prolific run in the Hockey India League for Kalinga Lancers in their title triumph in the 2017 edition, he earned his spot back in the national team.
“I was out of the team for three years (from 2014 to 2017). That three-year period was quite challenging as to get back to the peak level you again start from the scratch. You again have to make a place for yourself in the team. I didn’t give up at that point. I performed in the Hockey India League and earned my selection back then,” he said.
The Hockey India League is set to return and the Odisha icon will play for the Tamil Nadu Dragons after he was purchased for Rs 48 lakh during the auction held earlier in the month.
He thanked Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey for bringing back the franchise-based tournament.
“It was important for Hockey India League to return because from this stage, quality players emerge. You might not get noticed if you play senior nationals but from this tournament everyone is under observation. One enters as a small player and turns into a big star,” he signed off.
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