The Indian Hockey Federation may have finally appointed Ric Charlesworth as technical advisor but the Australian legend will not travel with the team during its first international tournament after the disastrous Olympic qualification campaign.

The Indians, who will train at a camp in Bangalore from March 25 to April 17, are scheduled to leave for Perth, Australia, on April 18 for a four-nation tournament, also featuring the hosts, Korea and China. The team will not get Charlesworth’s services during the tournament, which will be played over two legs in Perth and Darwin.

Charlesworth, however, would join the team for the Azlan Shah Tournament from May 8 to 18. He will also be there with the team during another four-nation tournament in Dublin to be played in the middle of June.
The tournament features India, England, Ireland and a third team which is yet to be decided.

Tirkey to ponder future
Meanwhile, veteran defender Dilip Tirkey has said he wants to take a break from hockey for three months to recover from an ankle injury and decide his future.

The former national skipper has requested IHF President K P S Gill that he may not be considered for assignments during this period.

The 30-year-old defender will thus miss the Australia tour next month. "Since I am recovering from an ankle injury, I have requested IHF president and the team management not to consider me for a period of three months, by which time I will be fully fit," Tirkey told PTI.

The veteran is still undecided as to how long he will continue in the game. "As far as my future goes, I will decide after due consultations with the Federation," he said.