On Saturday, playing against Canada, India got a penalty corner in the 51st minute. The ball was not stopped properly, so it wasn’t a dead ball and without a second thought, India switched to a variation. Instead of executing the corner through a drag-flick, local boy Amit Rohidas fired a low rise hit with its trajectory taking a dip after crossing the goal line, leaving the Canadian goalkeeper completely clueless.

Rohidas, who hails from the tribal belt of the northwestern part of Odisha, took us to the era another famous player from the tribal belt --- Dilip Tirkey. Tirkey too had made his penalty corner — a low height angular hit with sudden dip after crossing the goal line — his trade mark hit.

“We have to be ready for all situations and making variations in the penalty corner is part of our training. I am happy that I am able to execute it well,” says Rohidas. “It’s always a pride contributing for the country and I was waiting for this moment in the World Cup. Thankfully it has arrived well on time.”

Hockey, a way of life

When told his penalty corner hit is reminiscent of Tirkey, Rohidas says, “Dilip sir has a major role to play in my career and I hail from his village Sounamora only. He is a great motivation for the tribal kids of entire Sundargarh district or I can say for entire Odisha. For us (referring to the tribal kids), hockey is not only a sporting discipline, but a vehicle for a socio-economic growth.

“When I started the sport, I used to play with a bamboo stick, as there was hardly any access to proper hockey sticks in my village. Now the things have changed, there is lot of development in our area and on personal front today I am playing with a ₹15,000-₹20,000 stick. So, you can see what hockey has given to me. Living up to the expectations of the people is the only way I can pay back something to the sport.”

From Michael Kindoo, who was a member of the 1975 World Cup winning team, to three-time Olympian Tirkey to current World Cup team members Birendra Lakra and Rohidas, over 60 players --- largely tribal --- have made it to the international arena from Sundargarh district in the post-independence era.

“I am happy for Rohidas. I have seen him growing from his younger days and the way he is playing, he has a long way to go. I hope to see more and more players from the state making it to the Indian team,” says Tirkey, who has larger than life image in Odisha.

Silencing critics

After the bronze-medal finish at the Asian Games, Rohidas was dropped from the squad. After the announcement of the core probables for the Asian Champions Trophy that was to be carried forward to the World Cup, his name was suddenly included in the list.

But Saturday’s performance went a long way in silencing his critics. Even chief coach Harendra Singh indicated the same at the post-match press conference. “In today’s match, I have discovered the strength of two players about which I was not sure. I was in a fix how to use their abilities. But by taking a chance to play them in specific positions has turned out to be good move at the right time.”

“Yesterday I too was surprised to see Rohidas taking a hit while executing the penalty corner. Because this will add variation in taking penalty corners in the coming matches of the World Cup. Now we can have the option of both drag-flick and hit. That will keep the opponent goalkeeper in a fix. It’s a good thing for our hockey,” said Tirkey.

First Published: Dec 11, 2018 11:29 IST