Tamil Nadu Dragons Dutch head coach Rein Van Eijk believes Olympic-medal winning India defender Amit Rohidas is the best “first rusher” in the world and hopes his multiple skills will benefit the franchise in the upcoming revamped Hockey India League (HIL).
Two-time Olympic bronze medallist, Rohidas is one of the best first rushers in the world when it comes to defending penalty corners. As if that was not enough, the player from Odisha is also a potent dragflicker and a senior member of the Indian men’s team.
“For us, getting Amit (Rohidas) was obviously the one thing that we wished for. He’s the number one rusher in the world and a warrior in his style of play. He defends and leads by action, which will be a great motivation for the team. He is able to play multiple positions, can also dragflick,” Van Eijk told PTI video in an exclusive interview.
Rohidas has 200 international caps to his credit and has scored more than 25 goals.
Rohidas will be complemented by Paris Olympics silver medalist Moritz Ludwig of Germany, another elite rusher, ensuring a solid defence for Tamil Nadu Dragons from set pieces.
“I think there are four top rushers in the world. Obviously, Amit Rohidas is probably the number one of those four, but Moritz Ludwig, the German player that we’ve gotten, is in the top four as well. So our corner defense should be very solid,” said Van Eijk, coach of Germany’s 2023 Under-21 World Cup-winning side.
The coach reserved special praise for young India striker and Tamil Nadu player Karthi Selvam.
“With Karthi, we have a very talented forward. His performances in the 2022 Asia Cup and Asian Champions Trophy showed his strength. His goal-scoring ability and explosiveness bring all the good. He’s also physically very imposing and very strong on the ball.
“I think scoring nine goals in the game where they won 43-0 with the Tamil Nadu hockey unit says a lot about his qualities. I hope that this can be his way back into the Indian men’s national team to solidify his spot,” Van Eijk said.
“Playing for a team (Tamil Nadu Dragons) where he’s so connected might excite him even more.” The coach said Indian players will need to focus more on gameplay and individual decision making skills to match the likes of Dutch and German counterparts.
“Indian players are usually way more skillful but do not get exposed to regular gameplay. The physical part of the game is also not as focused upon as it is in Western Europe. European countries have a different hierarchical system that makes it easier to work together and make decisions,” Van Eijk said.
“I think the combination of those things, the physicality of the game, regular gameplay, and also regular matches at a high level without travelling too much, and independent decision making from a cultural standpoint, are I think major differences,” he added.
The revived HIL will be held from December 28 till February 1.
