Ranchi Rhinos are all set to play the semifinal come Saturday. Coached by the Proteas Gregg Clark, Rhinos can boast of having more than a couple of national captains on duty. One among them is the Dutch skipper Floris Evers, who wants to be called ‘Mr. Flower’ or just ‘Flower’ to his team-mates. Stick2hockey team had an exclusive chat with the 3-time Champions Trophy winner.
Excerpts:
S2h: You are the Dutch captain, playing in Ranchi with plenty of junior Indian players. How’s the feeling being in India?
Floris: I love India. I spent a few days in Goa some time back, but now I am with the Ranchi team. From the first day with the team, I am feeling at home. We all international players are joking to each other that Ranchi is our second home now. We are really feeling very good being a part of this team.
S2H: Your team beat Punjab Warriors in their own home in the first match, and then went on win many matches. How’s the preparation now?
Floris: We are very keenly looking forward to the semis, because winning matches are really important. There is an unwritten rule that you have to win the first match to boost yourself. We have done that long back. Now we are playing in our home-ground for the semis. We are all set to do well, and have a good party tonight.
S2H: Ranchi is the team of captains. Besides you, there is German captain, South African captain, and then there are junior Indian players. Don’t you feel the huge gap in experience?
Floris: No no, I look at the things very positively. Of course we have many foreign players, who are very experienced. We all can, very honestly, help the Indian youngsters to learn more and groom. We also learn a lot of things from them. Indians are really good with their stick-work; they are excellent dribblers of the ball. So during the practice sessions, we also learn such tricks from them. So knowledge is passed the both ways.
S2H: Hockey India League promises great money for all the players. Apart from the financial point of view, how, according to you, HIL will help Indian hockey?
Floris: No, for it’s not about the money. We Dutch players had already talked that we would go to play in HIL even for the lesser money. Because more than the money, the whole experience of playing in India, rubbing shoulders with the Indian youngsters, playing in front of highly-enthusiastic Indian fans gives you a life-long experience. People in this city, Ranchi really love hockey, we saw them dancing on stands during practice matches, and it’s a treat to watch. HIL will not only help this game to be popular in India, but abroad as well. It’s being watched in The Netherlands as well. And as I said, not only the Indian players will learn from us, but we also will learn so many things playing with this talented bunch of youngsters.