How Indian hockey star Amit Rohidas became world's best first rusher and penalty corner expert

Born in a family of limited means, Indian hockey player Amit Rohidas only had one option: take risks to change his family’s fortunes. Once he decided to pursue hockey after being inspired by Hockey India president and former Olympian, Dilip Tirkey, who also hails from Odisha’s Sundergarh, the same village as Rohidas, the Indian defender picked the toughest job in the sport, that to be the first rusher and a penalty corner expert.

In a sport where penalty corners have been one of the most popular moves, the first rusher’s job is to run straight at the drag-flicker and kill the shot. It’s his job to look into the eyes of fear when the ball is struck at a pace of more than 100kph, not flinch and block the stroke even if it means copping a painful body blow.

Rohidas made his international debut in 2013 and has so far played 171 matches, scoring 28 goals with the majority of them coming from the penalty corners. He has been a regular since 2017 where he has nailed a place at the back with his solid defending. And while he is an integral part of the team because of the assurance he provides at the back, his biggest utility to the team is his unwavering run as the first rusher which has made him the best at the job in the world.

“If I am off the pitch then Manpreet (Singh) is the designated first rusher but if I am on the pitch, then I am the first rusher. This has been decided by the team and coach,” Rohidas tells Firstpost.

Rohidas’ bravery was one of the major forces behind India upsetting Germany in the bronze-medal match at the Tokyo Olympics.

First rusher’s secret

But what goes into becoming the best at blocking the drag-flicks?

There are no prizes for guessing that it’s bravery that’s first and foremost.

“This is a job for someone with jigra,” he asserts. “You can’t be a first rusher if you can’t continue after taking a blow. This is a dangerous job and you need confidence in yourself to continue fighting hard. The ball comes at a pace of over 100kph. The most important thing is to have the right technique while making the run.”

It’s a simple run toward the shot, right? What has technique got to do with it?

The run is made once the ball is played to the drag-flicker but the planning behind the run starts much before. While it’s generally believed that a rusher’s eyes are fixated on the penalty corner specialist, Rohidas explains that a rusher is more focussed on the pusher.

A pusher or injector is the one who passes the ball from the backline to the edge of the circle for a drag-flick.

“The most important thing is to have a close eye on the pusher, not the drag-flicker. If we don’t watch the pusher closely then there’s a danger of injury. We have to notice the pace of the push and then check which penalty corner battery is taking the shot — is it the first one or the second? You have to change your direction according to which battery is taking the shot. If you are running alone, then you have to try to block both penalty corner experts,” Rohidas explains.

A battery system consists of the drag-flicker and the stopper at the edge of the circle. In a double battery system, teams deploy two penalty corner experts during a PC to confuse opponents or execute variations.

Talk to the goalkeeper

Even before you start tracking the pusher, the defence has to firm up a plan with the goalkeeper taking charge.

“Another important aspect is the communication with the goalkeeper. Once you concede a PC, the goalkeeper quickly discusses the area that he is going to command,” shares Rohidas. “Accordingly, you try to block the other angle. You have to time your run very precisely to avoid any injury. It’s alright if you don’t get hit above the knee, otherwise it can be painful.”

How painful?

In the early days, when Rohidas started as a rusher, he didn’t know the right technique. The protective gears were also not the same, resulting in painful memories.

“I have copped many body blows and there are many scars on my body. You need a lot of courage to do this job,” he adds.

Hon’ble MR Shri @AshwiniVaishnaw met Amit Rohidas, part of Gold Medalist Indian hockey team & member of Railway family, to extend his warm congratulations to him & Indian Contingent for its remarkable achievements in 19th Asian Games held at Hangzhou, China. pic.twitter.com/wFwxlLNdsI

— Ministry of Railways (@RailMinIndia) October 11, 2023

He, however, doesn’t want penalty corner rules to change.

“We have a good amount of safety gear. It’s not a problem. The gloves, knee guards, and face masks are enough.”

Work on PC goals

Apart from the defensive job, Rohidas’ PC goals will also be of great value to India as they prepare for the Paris Olympics. With India struggling to get goals from open play, the PC has become even more significant for the Craig Fulton-coached side.

This is where his experience as the first rusher has come in handy for Rohidas.

“While taking a PC, more than focusing on drag-flick, we have to check out the first rusher; what kind of run is he making and how we can beat him,” he reveals besides sharing how the team is preparing to further improve their conversion ratio.

“We have a separate session for drag-flicking, at least 2-3 times in a week because it’s vital to our gameplay. We need to work on it continuously, on all aspects — pushing, stopping, flicking and PC variations. Doesn’t matter how good you are, you need to practice because you can’t just turn up and convert PCs into goals. You need to read your opponents, analyse them, and decide how you will play against a team,” he signs off.