Amit Rohidas Breaks Silence On Red-Card Incident At Paris Olympics Quarter-Final Match

He endured a couple of sleepless nights while dealing with the trauma of missing out on a crucial Olympics semi-final but Amit Rohidas is indebted to his teammates for not once letting him feel ostracized after his red card led to Indian team playing with 10 men for 42 minutes during its hockey quarter-final against Great Britain. The Indian men's hockey team secured a record-extending successive bronze medal, their 13th Olympic hockey medal, despite the setback of Rohidas' red card in the quarter-final against Great Britain, which led to his suspension for the semi-final.

"I really missed the semi-final because of the one-match suspension. It was such a crucial match," the 31-year-old India's defensive mainstay told PTI in an exclusive interview during the team's felicitation at the India House in Paris on Saturday.

"Pura country aur mere teammates mere saath the... Kabhi team se emotionally bahar hone nahin diya. Mera focus bas aagli match pe thaa (I knew the whole country and my teammates Emotionally they never ever let me feel that I'm an outsider or sidelined. I was fully focused on our next match." The Indian first-rusher was penalised in the 17th minute of the quarter-finals for a swinging stick that inadvertently struck British forward Will Calnan in the face.

Although the on-field referee initially did not deem it a serious offense, the decision was upgraded to a red card after a video referral.

This led to a one-match suspension for Rohidas, sidelining him for the semi-final against Germany, which India narrowly lost.

Reflecting on the incident, Rohidas said, "I don't know what people are saying outside, but I know as a player what I've gone through. It wasn't intentional, and the referee's decision is part of