Amit Rohidas Exclusive: 'Indian men's hockey team won’t take any opponent lightly'

Over the years, Amit Rohidas has established himself as a pivotal man in the backline of the Indian hockey team.

He recently completed 150 caps for the senior national team when he took the field during the Asian Champions Trophy match against China in August.

It has, however, not been an easy road for Amit, 30, who hails from Odisha. He made his senior India debut in 2013, during the Asia Cup in Ipoh that year, but continued being in and out of the team until 2017 when he returned to the India side, following a brilliant run in the Hockey India League. He has been a mainstay of the team ever since.

With the Asian Games 2023 on the horizon, Amit is determined to help his team secure direct qualification to the 2024 Olympics in Paris but believes that everyone must give it their 100 percent to come out on top in Hangzhou.

India men’s hockey team begins their Asian Games campaign against Uzbekistan on Sunday (24 September), before facing Singapore, Japan, Pakistan and Bangladesh in the pool stage.

Amit, who is currently the vice-captain of the Indian hockey team, recently spoke to Firstpost on how the team was preparing for the Asian Games, the small window between the Asian Champions Trophy and the Asian Games, qualification hopes for the 2024 Paris Olympics and more.

Excerpts:  

How confident are you of the Indian men’s hockey team giving their 100 percent in the Asian Games?

Rohidas: We are confident of giving our best. The teams are more or less the same whom we played in the Asian Champions Trophy. So, we’re focusing on improving certain things. During practice, we’re focusing on drag-flicks, penalty corners, forward line, defence line, and midfielders. Where the coach feels there’s scope for improvement, we’re focusing on those areas. We’re trying to rectify mistakes from those we committed in the Asian Champions Trophy.

Every one of us is working hard to give our 100 percent because this is a very important tournament for us.

19th Asian Games Hangzhou China 2023 #teamindia #hockeyindia #asian #games #2023 pic.twitter.com/1HFKUdHBXu

— Amit Rohidas#30 ଅମିତ ରୋହିଦୀସ (@30Amitrohidas) September 22, 2023

Asian Games gives the team an opportunity to directly qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Is there pressure on the team to do well in the Asian Games and secure direct qualification for the Olympics?

Rohidas: See, in a tournament like the Asian Games, every team will want to secure a direct spot in next year’s Olympics. We’re ready for the challenge. As I said earlier, we’re going to give it our 100 percent. We’re focused on winning the gold in the Asian Games and qualifying for the Paris Olympics.

Everyone knows what happened in the previous Asian Games, so this time around we won’t take any team lightly, because every team works hard and gives their 100 percent. We hope to secure direct qualification for the Olympics, but it won’t be easy.

There’s only a small gap between the Asian Champions Trophy and the Asian Games. How is the team dealing with a small gap like that?

Rohidas: See, we went ahead with a positive mindset. We had the 100th Anniversary Tournament in Spain, that was followed by the Asian Champions Trophy. The tournament was till 12 August. We got a week’s break post the Asian Champions Trophy, mainly to recover and come back fresh. Post that one-week break, we assembled back to prepare for the Asian Games.

We went away with a mindset that this (Asian Games) was a big tournament. So, it was our aim to do everything possible for a quick recovery within that one week, so that we return back to the hockey field with a fully refreshed mindset. We even had a camp in SAI, Bengaluru, so that also helped us.

How’s the Indian hockey team preparing for the Asian Games?

Rohidas: The preparations are going on pretty well. We have a new head coach in Craig Fulton.

A proud moment for our captain Harmanpreet Singh to be chosen as Joint flag bearer for the Indian contingent at the opening ceremony of 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022 carrying the hopes and dreams of 1.5 billion people.

Best of luck Harmanpreet and #TeamIndia. Let's go for Gold… pic.twitter.com/TIWGzJbyKQ

— Hockey India (@TheHockeyIndia) September 22, 2023

Even among the teammates, we gel with each other quite well. We keep our focus on the field during our practice, but we do share light moments as well like cracking jokes. The atmosphere within the team is pretty good.

Paddy Upton is your mental health conditioning coach. How has he helped the team?

Rohidas: Paddy Upton has joined us recently as the mental health conditioning coach. We get to learn a lot from him. If there’s a match that we have lost and which takes a mental toll on us, he’s always there to support us. He motivates us in every possible way and helps us keep ourselves mentally fit before and after a big game

How has Craig Fulton been as the head coach of the Indian hockey team?

Rohidas: Craig Fulton is a very good coach. He helps us prepare for each match accordingly, analysing who are opponents are and what they play like. He also helps us rectify our mistakes and what we can do better. We play small games, and based on the team structure, he guides us accordingly.

"𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙤𝙖𝙡 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙣𝙪𝙢𝙗𝙚𝙧 1️⃣ 𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙢 𝙞𝙣 𝘼𝙨𝙞𝙖."

🇮🇳 men's hockey chief coach Craig Fulton offers a glimpse into their preparations and the high-flying goals set for the 19th Asian Games. 🏑#AsianGames | @TheHockeyIndia | @FIH_Hockey

— Olympic Khel (@OlympicKhel) September 22, 2023

For example, the guard pass. That’s one area we look to improve. His main advice to us is to play according to our team’s plan, there’s no other way about it. Overall, he is a very understanding coach and there is a lot of mutual respect among the squad.