Not very often would one spot the Indian hockey captain holding his head high with a broad smile just after a major international tournament.
The current occupant of the hot seat, Prabodh Tirkey, was optimism personified after the country’s splendid triumph at Chennai in the Asia Cup two days back.
The 22-year-old was in the city on Tuesday, donning the chief guest’s role during the Super Division hockey league at the KSHA. The lanky half-back showered praises on his team, particularly the forwards, for the stunning show.
“We had a good training camp in Bangalore and later in Chennai. The team reaped the benefits of the hard work and the forwards did a tremendous job. They did well with re-tackles and also were fast in counter-attacks,” said the Indian Airlines star, who plays for Orissa Steelers in the PHL.
Terming the triumph as the biggest moment in his career, Tirkey said the team worked as a unit and tried to rectify  the mistakes committed in the Champions Challenge in Boom and the Sultan Azlan Shah tournament in Kuala Lumpur.
After the Chennai win, expectations have skyrocketed now and the next big test for the team is the Olympic qualifiers. With the team almost certain to play the qualifier in New Zealand, Tirkey is wary of the Kiwi challenge.
“They are a pretty good side and if we beat them, we will win the tournament and qualify for the Olympics. Last time, they beat us 2-0 during the Champions Challenge and one of the goals was from a penalty corner. So, we definitely will have to watch out for that,” said Tirkey, who along with most of his team-mates, will be off to take part in the German league.