Bhubaneswar, Jan. 12: Vice-captain of the gold winning Indian junior men's World Cup squad Dipsan Tirkey is already a star despite being the youngest deep defender of the Kalinga Lancers team that has set its eyes on the Hockey India League.
Five matches of the league, which will be held from January 21 to February 26, will be played at Kalinga Stadium.
Talking to The Telegraph, the Saunamara youngster from Sundargarh district said he was yet to get over the Junior World Cup title win against Belgium.
"After I returned home, a felicitation ceremony was arranged and my villagers were present. It was a very proud moment," Dipsan said, who hails from the same district that gave the game another famous defender - Dilip Tirkey.
Talking about how he felt leading a squad, the youngster, who had to stand in for the captain in a number of national and international matches, said: "Everyone in a hockey team knows their job and are good at it. So, the job of the captain becomes easy. Yes, it involves some pressure, but if the team is cooperative, everything falls in place," said the 18-year-old.
Talking highly about his teammates, he said: "The seniors love me. It's a fun environment."
Moving away from the international pitch, Dipsan said in the Hockey India League, Punjab Warriors was the toughest competitor . "We finished runners-up last year and will try our best to clinch the title. We are focusing on fitness techniques and will start practising soon," he said.
He added that the synthetic AstroTurf at Kalinga Stadium had been a huge boost to the sport. "Hockey used to be limited to rural Sundergarh . But, ever since the inauguration of the ground, many international matches are being played and urban people are taking interest in the sport."
The government's efforts to host hockey camps would help those who get influenced by Maoists to give up arms, he said. "The state is afflicted by insurgency, especially in my native district, but hockey is very popular. If workshops are hosted regularly, it will become easy for villagers to get selected during trials," he says.
Dipsan's professional journey began from the Rourkela-based Panposh Sports Hostel in 2009.
"We used to play without rules in our village. We did not have equipment, neither did we care for rules. After getting into the hostel, I began to play the sport in the way it should be," Dipsan said.
The younger lot have a lot to learn from senior players, he adds. Sharing an anecdote with The Telegraph, the defender said: "During a camp at Bhopal, we were practising and Birendra Lakra gave me a lot of advice. He spoke about stick positions and taught us tricks of the trade. That helped me improve my game," he said.
Dipsan next target is to get into the national team, but he also wants to continue his association with Kalinga Lancers.
"This is my state team and given a chance, I would love to play for it year after year," said Dipsan.
