From ball boy to India’s opponent: Indonesia’s Ramadhan set for dream Asian Games clash

Nagoya: He took photos with legendary Indian players Sardar Singh and Rupinder Singh while serving as a ball boy during the 2018 Asian Games hockey matches. Eight years on, Indonesian national team player Ahdan Asasi Ramadhan is set to finally fulfil his dream of playing against India at the Aichi-Nagoya Games here.

The 27-year-old Ramadhan, a midfielder, says he is an avid follower of India's hockey matches in the FIH Pro League and even watches the Hockey India League on television.

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A fan of Hardik Singh, a key midfielder in the current Indian team, Ramadhan is relishing the prospect of playing against his idol and other Indian players.

India face Indonesia in a Pool A match at the Asian Games on Sunday.

"It will be an honour for me and other players to play against India, one of the strongest teams in the Asian Games. Moreover, I follow a lot of Indian players in the FIH Pro League and even in the Hockey India League which I watched on TV," Ramadhan, who will be playing in his second Asian Games, told in an interview.

"I was a ball picker (in hockey matches) in the Asian Games in Jakarta in 2018. I remember India thrashing Indonesia 17-0 (in a pool match). After the match, I took pictures with Sardar Singh, Rupinder Singh and Vivek (Sagar Prasad).

"Now I am going to play against them. This is so exciting for me. I will learn a lot for them, it's dream come true."

The Indian team in the 2018 Asian Games was led by PR Sreejesh and featured the likes of Sardar, Harmanpreet, Rupinder and Manpreet Singh.

Asked if he plans to take photos with Indian players on Sunday, he said, "Maybe after the game. But in the game, I just want to show off my best.

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"As a team, we are looking forward to the match to play to our best without any pressure. We just want to learn and beat them (India) if we can."

Ramadhan, a part of the Indonesian team that won a bronze medal in the South East Asian Games in 2023, said he wants to be a star hockey player in Indonesia, like Hardik, Harmanpreet and Manpreet.

"Hockey is not very famous in Indonesia, but very famous in India. But I want to be a star player in hockey because Indonesia don't have any star player like Harmanpreet, Manpreet and Hardik."

Asked specifically who is his idol in the Indian hockey team, he said, "I'm inspired by all of the Indian players. But I see Hardik Singh as my role model. He is also a midfielder like me, he's a very smart guy and not clumsy with the ball. He is a very tough player, so he is my idol.

"But on the field, I will treat them as my opponents. We play India in our first match. We have a strategy for India and will prepare well for the match. As a team, we will do our job," said Ramadhan who made his Asian Games debut in Hangzhou, China, in 2023.

Indonesia had finished ninth in the last Asian Games after losing four out of five matches in their group.

Ramadhan fancies playing in the Hockey India League to get the real taste of Indian hockey.

"I see a lot of star players in the HIL, the crowd, the quality of the matches, it blows my mind. The league is so very good. Maybe one day, I will play in Hockey India League."

On his hockey journey, he said, "I started playing hockey in 2010 in junior school. I studied sport and medicine in State University of Jakarta. And then, I competed in national championship and then got into the national team in 2019."