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