www.stick2hockey.com wishes a gainful and fruitful political and public life for Dilip Tirkey who has taken oath as Member of Parliament (Upper House) on Tuesday, the 24th April 2012. Dilip Tirkey served Indian hockey with distinction for about one and half decade. He opted to announce retirement after a six-a-side tournament he organized in Bhubneswar yesterday (the 2nd May 1010). He is not only a great player of our times, but also a finest human being. Dilip Tirkey is the most capped player in the world, only Indian to cross the coveted 400 mark. He, of late, added another gold to his kitty, the Azlan Shah Cup 2009. Dilip plays for Air India. Globally acclaimed Dilip Tirkey is currently the senior-most player in India. The legendary defender has a humble background and worked all the way to lead India. The adivasi from traditional hockey province of Sundergarh (Orissa) stepped into the Indian side as an able successor to Pargat Singh in the deep defence. Son of Vincent Tirkey, a state-level hockey player, he first joined RCF Kapurthala in 1993 before joining Indian Airlines in 1996. He then represented Orissa in the Senior National Championship at Bikaner in 1993 when he was barely 16. Since he made his senior international debut in the 1995 Indira Gold Cup, he has been a fixture in all India’s engagements. Dilip has not missed a single international match between 1995 and 2001 — an excellent track record. He had the distinction of playing 100 matches within three years of earning his colours. So talented was he that when he played the Junior World Cup in 1997, Dilip already had collected 52 senior international caps. With sound technique, he converts penalty corners in the traditional way: the hit. Dilip was declared Best Player of the 1998 India-Pakistan Test series and the 2000 Jammu Nationals and was the only Indian player to win gold medals at the Asian Games and Afro-Asian Games. He led India for the first time in 2002, l