NEW DELHI: Amit Rohidas is grateful to his teammates for never making him feel excluded after his red card caused the Indian hockey team to play with 10 men for 42 minutes during their quarterfinal match against Great Britain. Rohidas suffered through a few sleepless nights while dealing with the trauma of missing out on an immensely important Olympics semi-final.
The Indian men's hockey team made a new record by winning their 13th Olympic hockey medal in Paris, securing a bronze medal in spite of Rohidas' red card in the quarterfinal match against Great Britain, which resulted in his suspension for the game's semifinal.
"I really missed the semi-final because of the one-match suspension. It was such a crucial match," the 31-year-old India's defensive mainstay told PTI in an exclusive interview during the team's felicitation at the India House here on Saturday.
"Pura country aur mere teammates mere saath the... Kabhi team se emotionally bahar hone nahin diya. Mera focus bas aagli match pe thaa (I knew the whole country and my teammates Emotionally they never ever let me feel that I'm an outsider or sidelined. I was fully focused on our next match."
In the 17th minute of the quarterfinals, the Indian first-rusher was penalized for a swinging stick that unintentionally struck British forward Will Calnan in the face.
After a video referral, the on-field referee escalated the call from a warning to a red card, even though at first he did not consider it a serious penalty.
Due to this, Rohidas was suspended for one match, which prevented him from playing in India's close loss to Germany in the semi-final.
Reflecting on the incident, Rohidas said, "I don't know what people are saying outside, but I know as a player what I've gone through. It wasn't intentional, and the referee's decision is part of the game."
Even with only ten men remaining, Indian goalie PR Sreejesh persevered to force a shootout, where his valiant play once again proved to be the difference, sending India into their second consecutive Olympics hockey semifinal.
"It gave me immense pride to win over our opponents in the shoot-out despite being reduced to 10 players. We showed our countrymen how we can fight despite the numerical disadvantage. It was not just once but twice we made records -- beating Australia after 52 years, and winning with 10 players," he reflected on their campaign.
Any regrets not being able to upgrade their Tokyo Olympics bronze to a gold or silver?
"Maybe the colour of the medal would have changed but it's all destined you cannot change anything. Luckily we are not returning empty-handed. This is country's medal."
India began the tournament with a shaky victory over New Zealand in a difficult group A match. They improved with each subsequent game, winning their biggest victory against Australia 3-2 in the league final.
The bronze medal match against Spain marked the end of an illustrious career for veteran goalkeeper Sreejesh, whose final international appearance completed an impeccable performance as the Indian 'wall'.
"Sreejesh bhai may not be there on the pitch after the retirement, but he will always be there with us as a guide and mentor. I'm sure whoever takes his position under the bar, we will work together as a unit as we have been doing all this while. We will follow the same process," he said.
An important member of India's defence force, Rohidas, also discussed the team's joint leadership.
"There is no one leader in a team, 16 or 18 everyone contributes in the leadership role. We do it together. Our team does not have one leader.
"Yes, there is a designated captain, but it's a team game. We all give our inputs, plan, and execute accordingly," he emphasised.
Mike Horn's Boot Camp : It was one hell of an experience
The team completed a demanding three-day boot camp in Switzerland before the Olympics, under the direction of adventurer Mike Horn. Horn was a part of the 2011 FIFA World Cup winning Germany squad as well as MS Dhoni and Co.
With fondness, Rohidas narrated the event.
"Accha bhi lag raha tha, aur upar se phaat bhi raha tha. Sab precautions thaa but agar kuchh ulta pulta ho jaata toh wahan chance nahin hai. (We had all the safety precautions but we also freaked out. It was like balancing between life and death).
"A magnificent and incredible three-day camping. It may look easy from outside, but only we knew what we went through while climbing on the cliffs and then the descent-up and down -- and how to maintain balance. It really made our minds tougher, stronger," he recollected.
