Excited to play Odisha Men’s Hockey World League Final Bhubaneswar 2017 in front of home crowd’

By SPNEWS On Nov 23, 2017

Excited to play Odisha Men’s Hockey World League Final Bhubaneswar 2017 in front of home crowd’

~ Local heroes Birendra Lakra, Amit Rohidas and Dipsan Tirkey are hopeful the enthusiastic home support in Bhubaneswar will help the Indian Men’s Hockey Team achieve desired results at Season Finale ~

Bengaluru: As the Indian Men’s Hockey Team prepares to leave for the Odisha Men’s Hockey World League Final Bhubaneswar 2017 from the national camp at SAI Centre, in Bengaluru on Wednesday, three members of the national team are particularly excited. Odisha lads Birendra Lakra, Amit Rohidas and Dipsan Tirkey who have been named in the 18-member squad eagerly await to play in front of their home crowd. “There will always be a little bit of pressure at a big event like this where we are playing the top seven teams of the world. But I am excited and eagerly awaiting to play in front of my home crowd. I am expecting many of my friends and family to come watch our matches. People are crazy about hockey in Odisha and the support we enjoy in Bhubaneswar always makes this a special venue for the Indian Team,” stated Lakra, a reliable fullback, who is returning to the Indian team after a long injury layoff. He last played for India during the Australian Tour in December, 2016.

The seasoned player is joined by young talents Amit Rohidas and Dispan Tirkey. While Rohidas had an impressive Coal India Hockey India League this year that propelled his selection into the Senior Core Group, Tirkey is a Junior World Cup hero who has made a smooth transition into the Senior Team. “This is the first time we will be playing for the Indian Team in front of our home crowd in Odisha,” expressed the 19-year-old Tirkey. “We have played plenty of HIL matches in Kalinga Stadium but of course this is a different platform and we want to do well,” added defender and dragflicker Rohidas, who was impressive in the Hero Asia Cup campaign.

Excitement apart, playing top teams like Australia, Germany and England in the Group Stage will need nerves of steel but Rohidas, who has 35 international caps and Tirkey with 12 international caps are prepared for the challenge. “Our Chief Coach Sjoerd Marijne has had one-on-one talks with us on mental preparation for this tournament. We are aware of our individual duties for the team and our focus is to execute the team’s strategies without letting pressure of expectations affect us,” said an assertive 19-year-old Tirkey.

That the two will play alongside Lakra in the backline who has remained a constant support is comforting for them. “It is not just Biru (Birendra) but seniors like Sunil, Manpreet, Rupinder have all been extremely encouraging and guide us in every session. As a team, we have worked very hard for this tournament and the fact that we did well in Belgium as well as the Asia Cup is a motivating factor to achieve good results in the Odisha Men’s Hockey World League Final Bhubaneswar 2017,” concluded Rohidas.

The Indian Team will arrive at the Biju Patnaik International Airport, Bhubaneswar on Wednesday, November 22, at 14.05 Hours. India will open their campaign against defending champions Australia on December 1 at 19.30 Hours.

Please find attached photos of Dipsan Tirkey, Amit Rohidas, Birendra Lakra and match schedule of the Odisha Men’s Hockey World League Final Bhubaneswar 2017.

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