HOCKEY | We wanted senior players to rest: Tirkey on the absence of India stars at the Nationals

Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey discusses Odisha's hockey success, format changes, player participation, and grassroots development.

For Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey, it must have been an emotional moment to witness Odisha win its maiden gold medal in the senior National men’s hockey championship here on Saturday.

Born and raised in Sundargarh, that is known for its love for hockey, Tirkey explained the reasons for the popularity of the sport in his district. “Sundargarh has more than a dozen artificial pitches in Odisha. There are as many sports hostels. There is a lot of support from the State Government as well.

“In fact, Odisha has the best infrastructure for hockey. Earlier, Odisha players used to play for different private teams in the Nationals. It is only now we have formed a good team.”

The 46-year-old former India captain said the Nationals have always been a priority for Hockey India and that there is a need to have a relook at the format of the tournament, which has seen many lop-sided matches.

“We are debating about it (the need to change the format). Some teams have conceded a lot of goals. I think this is not good for the future of Indian hockey,” he said.

According to Tirkey the reason many current India players didn’t take part in the Nationals was that there were quite a few international tournaments and moreover with the Hockey India League coming up, HI wanted the players to rest.

“We want all our national players to take part in the National championship. If our National players don’t play, people won’t come to see us play. Last year, when the Nationals happened before the Olympics, a lot of current India players came.