Amit Rohidas targets Sultan Azlan Shah Cup to start 2019 on high

After a year of mixed results in 2018, the Indian men’s hockey team will play its first tournament of the year in Malaysia. The Manpreet Singh-led side will take on Asian Games gold medallist Japan in the first match of the six-team tournament on the inaugural day of the event. Like all the players in the Indian side, who were a part of the previous World Cup, Rohidas will also want to come out of the disappointment and start a fresh year on a refreshing note.

India will go into the first tournament of the year without a chief coach as Harendra Singh was shown the doors after India’s exit from the World Cup in the quarter-final round. Hockey India’s High-Performance Director is in charge of the team with analytical coach Chris Ciriello continuing being a part of the support staff.

“Chris Ciriello, David John, Piyush Dubey and Kariappa were the coaches at SAI, Bengaluru camp and they took proper care of all players. There is not a lot of problem that we are facing without a head coach,” the Odisha defender explained.  

“Our team is practising really well and we have a positive mindset in the team. These camps are very helpful in team building before a major event. Our mistakes and small problems in techniques are rectified during these camps and I feel it has a crucial role to play ahead of an important tour.”

With some senior players injured for the upcoming six-nation tournament in Malaysia, Hockey India has selected a young India side from the Bengaluru camp. However, Rohidas has underlined the fact that the senior members like PR Sreejesh, Birendra Lakra, Kothgajit Singh and skipper Manpreet will be there to guide the young talents and help them do well in Malaysia. 

“Youngsters have got a chance in the team for Azlan Shah and they will try to do well there. If they do well in Malaysia it will give them more confidence and prepare the young members for the next big event that is Olympic qualifiers. Qualification for the Olympics is important for us and we want to prepare well and get ready for that,” the 26-year-old said.

Amidst all the preparation and after playing in domestic competitions, Rohidas’ memories from the World Cup at his home turf are still afresh.  It was a mixed tournament for the young man from Sundergarh and he wanted to keep aside the bad ones and talk about the moment which grabbed the eyeballs of hockey lovers all across India. Rohidas converted a penalty corner in a goal in the 51st minute of the game against Canada that the team won by 5-1 goals but it was not a conventional drag-flick but a variation in the form of a low-trajectory hit which legendary Dilip Tirkey used to score goals off short corners. 

Rohidas, who also comes from the same village in Sundergarh district from where Tirkey hails from, has said that he was always inspired by Tirkey and even practices that shot for penalty corner conversions. A World Cup goal at Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar will go down as one of the most memorable moments in his hockey career. However, when asked about his meeting with Tirkey after that goal, Rohidas replied that he hasn’t met the former captain after that.