Not many sportswriters from Goa can say that both their books have been endorsed by Olympic medallists. But Rohit Bhandiye is not your usual sportswriter.
After reading Rohit's latest book, Sports Commentary, one will understand his in-depth understanding of the Indian sporting scene and why an Olympian of the stature of Gagan Narang, country's ace shooter, wrote the foreword.
The book was released on Wednesday, May 28, in Panjim, by none other than Padma Shri Brahmanand Shankhwalkar, the legendary Goan footballer.
This is Rohit's second book, following My Take on Sports, which had a foreword by badminton star Saina Nehwal. “It’s a huge thing for me. I feel like I’ve won an Olympic medal myself. Two Olympic medallists writing the forewords of my books is not just a rare honour, it shows they valued the work enough to stand behind it,” he says.
Sports Commentary is a curated collection of Rohit’s articles published in various print media over the years. While cricket and football, Goa’s favourite sports, form the backbone of the book, it goes well beyond the predictable.
From hockey and athletics to chess, squash, swimming, badminton, and even table tennis, the book offers a ringside view of Indian sport in its many avatars. The idea of turning his articles into a book, Bhandiye says, came from reading Harsha Bhogle’s 2009 compilation, Out of the Box. The book has Harsha's features and commentaries. "So, I thought to myself 'Why not? Harsha’s book was clearly the inspiration,'” he adds.
In his book, Rohit writes candidly about the functioning of football clubs in India, the state of cricket in Goa, and the rise of women in Indian sport.
There are also sharp insights into how Odisha transformed itself into a hockey powerhouse, a model he believes Goa must pay attention to.
Grassroots-level coaching in Goa is not up to the mark. We have the infrastructure, but we lack quality coaches. Without good coaches, we won’t produce good players. It’s that simple
Rohit Bhandiye, Writer
“Odisha was once a disaster-prone, neglected state. But today, they have high-performance centres and are hosting international events. If they can do it, so can Goa. What we really need here is a similar high-performance centre that can serve athletes across disciplines,” Bhandiye suggests.
And while infrastructure exists in Goa, he insists the real gap lies in coaching. “Grassroots-level coaching in Goa is not up to the mark. We have the infrastructure, but we lack quality coaches. Without good coaches, we won’t produce good players. It’s that simple,” he adds.
Rohit, who is already working on his third book (it's not a collection but a biography of a prominent Goan sports personality), believes that sports deserve deeper engagement, both in writing and in policy. Sports Commentary is his way of holding a mirror and lighting a path.
And for anyone who loves sports, Rohit's book may well be a rewarding read.