“I am brave. Not stupid,” Amit Rohidas says, maintaining an affable tone.

He reflects on the infamous red card he received at the Olympics, a moment captured on video as his swinging hockey stick collided with English forward Will Calnan's face. However, he doesn’t consider it a blemish on his record, even though the suspension cost him a place in the semifinal. “Just because someone is willing to step in front of a shot traveling at 150 kph to block it doesn’t mean they would deliberately swing their stick at an opponent to hurt them. I’m not that foolish,” he asserts. “Nobody is.”

When asked what he would do differently if he could rewind to that pivotal 17th minute in the Paris Olympics quarterfinal against England, or if he would temper his defensive approach moving forward, given his importance to India's defense, he responds, “I have to play my game and keep doing my duty. I know the rules.”

In an era filled with clichés, the term ‘first rusher’ applies to Rohidas, often leading to the idea of a ‘rush of blood.’ However, he emphasizes that courage and reckless bravado are not synonymous.