14-Apr-2009 1383
Orissa stars Dilip Tirkey and Prabodh Tirkey returned home today after helping India win the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup International Hockey Tournament at Ipoh in Malaysia two days ago.
The duo was accorded a warm reception by family members, friends and mediapersons at the Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneswar.
Dilip Tirkey, the team’s most experienced member with over 400 international caps in his kitty, said that India’s major shortcoming of conceding goals in the dying minutes could be overcome with the help of patience, confidence and fitness.
Known as ‘The Rock’ of Indian hockey team, 31-year-old Tirkey admitted that the Azlan Shah Cup triumph had revived the morale of team. ‘‘We desperately needed such a success to pull Indian hockey out of a critical period. The victory should inspire the team to perform well in forthcoming tournaments,’’ he said.
Speaking on his own performance, Dilip said: ‘‘I am happy about the way I played. I will continue to give my best for the team as long as I am fit.’’
Though Dilip is now respected as the highest capped international in hockey, he admits that he is not sure about how many internationals he has played so far.
‘‘According to media figures, I had played 400 to 403 internationals before the start of the Azlan Shah Cup. Going by that figures, my tally of international caps now stand within 405 to 408,’’ he revealed.
Dilip said he wanted to impress the home crowd in next year’s World Cup and Commonwealth Games before hanging up his boots.
‘‘Presently, I am thinking of playing atleast one more year because we are hosting the Commonwealth Games and World Cup next year. Any player will want to play such big tournaments before his home crowd because it’s a totally different feeling.’’
BHOPAL CAMP HELPED: Mid-fielder and former captain Prabodh Tirkey said the preparatory camp at Bhopal helped the team perform well in the Azlan Shah Cup.
‘‘We worked very hard in the camp to improve our game and iron out the shortcomings. Special attention was paid to better execution of drag flicks. The hard work paid dividends eventually, even though we started our campaign on a disappointing note,’’ he recalled.
Prabodh admitted that Ipoh win had greately motivated the team and expected it to repeat the success in the Asia Cup in Malaysia next month.
‘‘I was the captain of the team when India won the Asia Cup in Chennai two years ago. I am looking forward to give my best again and help the team retain the Asia Cup,’’ he promised.
