New Delhi [India], August 13 : India men's hockey team defender Amit Rohidas stated that he was sad after he missed out on the opportunity to feature against Germany in the semi-finals at the Paris Olympics due to the one-match ban he was handed in the final eight.
During India's quarter-final match against Great Britain, the Harmanpreet Singh-led side was reduced to 10 men after Rohidas was shown a red card in the second quarter.
Rohidas received a red card after he raised his stick and caught Great Britain's William Calnan's head. India were reduced to 10 men and played the rest of the match one-man down for more than 40 minutes.
Despite his absence, the Indian team was able to force the game to shoot-out after a 1-1 draw. The Indian players put their prowess on display and clinched a 4-2 win to move into the semi-finals.
Rohidas praised his teammates for sticking by him and not making him feel that the team wouldn't be able to deliver in his absence.
"I got a red card in the quarter-final match. After that, the way our team played, we showed the entire world how to win with ten players. I was really sad at that time because I got suspended for one crucial match, which was the semi-finals. Nobody made me feel like Amit was not playing, so we wouldn't be able to perform well. We played the semi-finals well and had an upper hand against Germany," Rohidals told ANI.
India put up a valiant fight against Germany even without their key defender but fell short in the end. India lost by 3-2 in a closely fought encounter, which ended their hopes of winning their first gold medal at the Olympics since 1980.
Secretary General of Hockey India, Bhola Nath, recently emphasized the importance of the red card call. According to him, if Rohidas was not shown a red card, the outcome of the semi-final clash against Germany would have been different.
"If Amit Rohidas hadn't been shown a red card, the outcome could have been different. With him on the field, we believe we could have won gold, and his presence might have changed the result against Germany," Bhola Nath previously told ANI.
Even after facing the setback, India still managed to script history by winning back-to-back bronze medals at the Olympics for the first time in 52 years.
Throughout the hockey team's historic campaign, India fans turned up in numbers and made their presence felt in the stadium to become the team's 12th man.
While talking about the support that fans showcased throughout their campaign, Rohidas said, "Earlier, there was a lot of craze about hockey, but a gap came in between. We have closed that gap, and the entire nation is watching. Day or night, people are tuning in to watch and support us."
Following their bronze medal win, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the Indian hockey team and congratulated them for their success. PM Modi even expressed his belief that the golden era of hockey will return.
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