Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], December 19 : Ace Indian hockey player Amit Rohidas said that the return of Hockey India League (HIL) is a great development, which will help up-and-coming players by providing them exposure and playing time against national team senior and overseas stars and also raise their confidence.
Speaking to ANI, Rohidas, bought by Tamil Nadu Dragons for Rs 48 lakh, spoke on the return of HIL, India's back-to-back Olympic medal wins after a bronze at this year's Paris Olympics and Asian Champions Trophy win etc.
Speaking about the return of the Hockey India League, Rohidas recalled how it helped him make a return to Team India in 2017 after he was omitted from the team in 2014 following his debut in 2013. Rohidas played for Kalinga Lancers in their title-winning 2017 season and made a return to the Indian team and has been a crucial part of it since then.
"I would like to thank and congratulate Hockey India for this step. Through these leagues, players from different regions can showcase their game, get selected in the national camp and play for India. I have played HIL. In 2014, I was removed from Team India. My motto then was to play well in HIL and then come back to Team India. I was playing for my department and played HIL as well. I came back to the team in 2017 and have been a part of the team since then. I know how important this league is for players and how it helps them," he said.
He also said that when Indian players, especially the up-and-coming and domestic players, will get to play and mingle with Indian senior talent and overseas stars, it will raise their confidence and energy.
"Hockey India League will provide our players a chance to showcase their talent, even if they are not in the senior team, and a good income source as well. Most of the players are from poor families," he said.
He also said that HIL will help in the transfer of information among players which will help them.
"You get to know about other team's structure, way of playing etc. This will help us, increase our confidence. It will help us win the Hockey LA28 Olympics gold medal. That is our motto, to win as much as possible," he added.
This year's Hockey India League will showcase an impressive roster of eight men's teams and four women's teams, both leagues offering fast-paced, exciting games through their newly revamped formats. The men's league kicks off on December 28, in Rourkela at the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium, with the grand finale scheduled to take place on February 1, 2025.
Meanwhile, the women's league begins on January 12, 2025 in Ranchi's Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Munda Astro Turf Stadium, with the final slated for January 26, promising a thrilling competition from start to finish.
On team India's recent bronze medal in the Paris Olympics after beating Spain in the bronze medal match by 2-1 in August and win over China to win the Asian Champions Trophy in September, Rohidas said, "It feels great to have won back-to-back bronze medals at the Olympics. We had won a medal after over 40 years last time (in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics). We wanted to change the colour of the medal this time. But we are still happy to have won a medal and not have returned home empty-handed. To win the Asian Champions Trophy and have maintained our form in an Asian country after a global tournament, was great."
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