Halappa, Tirkey back with extra responsibilities

Uthra Ganesan Posted:
Chandigarh: Arjun Halappa and Ignace Tirkey are two key members of coach Harendra Singh’s core group. Both had been unable to play in the Argentina series for different reasons, but making a comeback to the national fold, the Gold Cup is the first tournament for the duo in a long time.

It is also the first time they are feeling a little lonesome during a tournament — it’s the first tournament for both after their respective weddings. Arjun Halappa got married last October, while Ignace Tirkey tied the knot with national women’s team player Masira Surin in December. And while they are happy at making a comeback into the national fold, both admit they are missing their better halves.

“Of course, it is difficult,” says Ignace. “But they do understand I have to play and that Hockey comes first,” he adds. They? “Well, the family has always been supportive. But being an international hockey player herself, Masira understands the demands made from a sportsperson,” he says. The two met at a national camp in New Delhi almost eight years ago.

Halappa says things are more settled since he has been married for almost five months now. “Initially it was difficult because I had to join the national camp only a week after the wedding. But the good thing was that the camp was in Bangalore, so we could meet almost everyday,” he says with a laugh.

Did the coach permit it? “Well, he understands!” he says, as the rest of his team mates crack up.

Both the newly-married young men talk of the balance they have to strike in their lives now. Halappa’s wife Bhavana is studying at the moment, but the fact that she has also been a hockey player makes things easier. “She is also from Coorg, so hockey was given to us as legacy,” says Halappa, who admits that his phone bills have gone markedly up in recent times.

Coourtesy: Indian Express