Players deserve recognition: Tirkey

Justifying the demands of the Asia Cup hockey winning team, Olympian Dilip Tirkey, who was part of the title triumph, said on Saturday while honouring the cricketers the state governments should not ignore the achievements of other sportspersons.

Tirkey said the team had worked hard and played outstanding hockey to bring the honour and they deserved acknowledgement from people as well as associations.

"Every player played well in the Asia Cup. We played attacking hockey for which we are known. The team played like a unit. Thrashing a strong team like South Korea in the final is no mean feat. The state governments at least should recognise what we have achieved," Tirkey told reporters.

"Performance of our cricket team in the Twenty20 cricket World Cup was very good. But at the same time we should not forget the good results produced by other sportspersons," the veteran defender said.

Welcoming the recent sops announced by various state governments and corporate houses for the Asia Cup winning side, Tirkey hoped that more such incentives would come for the players.

On the Olympic qualifiers, Indian hockey team's next big target, Tirkey said the side has to pull up its socks in several areas to excel their performance.

Source: www.ndtv.com