Men’s Hockey World Cup | Penalty corner conversion to be important for Team India, asserts Dilip Tirkey

11/19/2018

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Dilip Tirkey has stated that penalty corner conversion will prove to be very crucial for the Indian team during the upcoming Men’s Hockey World Cup in Bhubaneswar. He also stressed on the fact that it will be important for PR Sreejesh to maintain a good record in the goal post during the event.

For former India captain Dilip Tirkey, it’s like a dream come true as his home state is all set to host the prestigious Men’s Hockey World Cup which is being held in India only for the third time in the history of the FIH event. The Indian team had a good run in the past at the venue in both the global tournaments held here before. They finished fourth in the Men’s Champions Trophy at this venue in 2014 while in the Hockey World League Final played in 2017, India finished third after getting the better of Germany in the bronze medal match.

In an exclusive interview with SportsCafe, Tirkey, who himself played as a drag-flicker apart from being one of the strongest defenders, said that it will be important for the team to convert the penalty corners into goals at crucial stages of the world cup. He also implied that PR Sreejesh will be the key to India’s success in the tournament which will see 16 top teams of the world participating in it.

Speaking to SportsCafe, Tirkey said, “Sreejesh will have an important role to play in the tournament as goalkeeping is a crucial aspect of the game. He has won us many matches in the past and we hope something similar from him in the World Cup as well. Apart from that, short corner conversion is something that we should try to get it right. All hopes will be on young Harmanpreet Singh to get the drag flicks right while local lad Amit Rohidas and Varun Kumar will be there to support him."

India will start its campaign from the opening evening on November 28 against South Africa and then will face Belgium and Canada in the next two games of Pool C in the World Cup. According to Tirkey, India can’t take a team lightly in the tournament and will go fully prepared against the opponents.

“If we see the last two big events here, it has been a lucky place for the Indian team. India will always be there as one of the best teams in the tournament but they can’t take any team lightly. Maybe, in the pool, only Belgium is above India in the rankings but South Africa and Canada can always put up a good show on their day,” Tirkey asserted.

Tirkey is happy to see defender Birendra Lakra back in the team after recovering from the injury and mentioned that losing out on match practice will not have a big impact on Lakra as he is experienced enough and knows well what to do when making a comeback after an injury layover. Lakra was not a part of the Indian team in the recently-concluded Asian Champions Trophy in Oman.

“Birendra Lakra is making a comeback in the team and I hope he is fully fit and has recovered from the injury for the World Cup. He has got enough experience and knows what to do after recovering from an injury. He will be eager to perform in front of the home crowd and along with Amit will draw the local crowd into the stadium during the tournament,” explained the former India captain.

Speaking on the performance of Indian captain Manpreet Singh and chief coach Harendra Singh, the 40-year-old said, “Harendra is getting good results for Indian hockey and he has done really well as a coach. There are expectations from him in the World Cup as well and I hope he will carry on doing his job with the same energy and passion during the prestigious tournament.”

“Manpreet is a young leader and he is doing well in holding the team together. We saw his skills in the Asian Champions Trophy recently where he was a live wire in the midfield. He has impressed one and all both as a leader and as a player at the biggest stage.”

Tirkey, who is currently the chairman of Odisha Tourism Development Corporation, is delighted to see the brand of Odisha which is being created through sports. Odisha is getting to host many prestigious events in recent days starting from the Hockey India League matches and Men’s Hockey Champions Trophy in 2014. Not only hockey, the Kalinga Stadium complex hosted the 22nd Asian Athletics Championships last year before the inaugural edition of Super Cup Football which was played at the same venue in April this year. According to the former Rajya Sabha member, Bhubaneswar is the Sports Hub of the country and he thanked the Chief Minister for promoting sports not only in the state but also all over the country.

“I never dreamt that Odisha will ever host Hockey World Cup in the past. The effort by the state government, led by our chief minister Naveen Patnaik has made it possible. And we all are trying hard for the spread of hockey and the successful organisation of the mega event in Bhubaneswar,” said Tirkey who played a very vital role in the construction of the stadium in the state capital.

“Kalinga Stadium is one of the best hockey venues in the world and players from other countries also love to come here and play. I am sure that like other tournaments in the past, the crowd will come in large numbers here to witness some of the best teams perform in their own city.”

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