CHENNAI: Even as Indian hockey went through a roller-coaster ride in the last 10 years, one man who stood there like a rock was Dilip Tirkey. Players came and went, the administrative body changed, but no one questioned Tirkey’s position in the team. In an exclusive chat with TOI , the former India captain talked about his journey so far. Excerpts:

What’s the secret behind your consistency?

It’s an honour to play for the country and whenever I enter the field, I give my 100 per cent. It’s probably destiny that I have conducted myself so well for such a long time.

Hailing from a remote Orissa village, how difficult was it to make it big?

I think I am lucky to have made an impression. I just went on working hard and things fell in place. The sports hostel in Pamposh near Sundargarh had a big role to play in my success. I’m also thankful to my coach AK Bansal.

What is it about the Sundargarh hostel that it has produced so many quality players?
You have to visit the place to know how the villagers do their bit to promote the game. They are not rich but have great love for hockey. The game’s in their blood. The hostel inmates, too, are very hard-working while the Orissa government does its bit.

But with so much passion for the game among the commoners, why has the state of the game gone from bad to worse in the country? What’s the future?

I don’t want to go into the politics of it but it’s a fact that missing the Olympic berth was a huge setback for us. Then again, we have recovered from that shock. The players should now get adequate support from the federation so that the game is run in a systematic way.

But for a long time India hasn’t performed well abroad…

We haven’t done well in the World Cup or the Olympics. But we won the Asia Cup, did well in the Azlan Shah Cup and Afro-Asian Games. Then again, the loss of Jugraj Singh, who was such a brilliant dragflicker, was a big blow. Then Sandeep (Singh) was also forced to sit out for a long time due to that freak bullet injury. I think we have got good dragflickers in VR Raghunath and Diwakar Ram, but both will need more exposure.

Two major events are there in two years, the World Cup and Commonwealth Games. How do you think India should prepare for these?

Both the events are in India and we’ll have great advantage. The ad-hoc committee has already chalked out some plans. In Murugappa Cup, selectors are monitoring our performances and they will be doing the same during the Guru Tegh Bahadur hockey tournament, Surjeet Memorial and Nehru Gold Cup. We all have to participate in these tournaments and on the basis of these, 45 players will be chosen for the the national camp.

How do you rate the current Indian team?

There is a good combination of youth and experience. The juniors have a lot of potential and Sandeep has also made a comeback.

How long will we see Dilip Tirkey playing?

(Laughs). It’s a difficult question. I hurt my ankle and missed a few months of action. I have made a comeback in the Murugappa Cup. My ankle feels much better. I’m trying hard to be fit and looking forward to playing for my employer

PRINTED ARTICLE

TIMES OF INDIA