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The young Indian defender Dipsan Tirkey is determined to continue the team’s fine form from the U-21 Volvo Invitational Tournament to the upcoming 5th Sultan of Johar Cup in Malaysia. The U-21 side finished 4th at the Invitational tournament earlier this year.
The young Indian side will be looking to successfully defend their title which they won by beating Great Britain 2-1 in the final.
The 17-year-old defender is keen to perform at the International stage and impress the selectors to get a chance to play in the senior team.
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“I am very excited as we will be playing the top teams in the upcoming 5th Sultan of Johor Cup. The challenge will be tough but having an advantage of being the defending champions, we are looking forward to retain the title for India,” he said, as reported by Hockey India.
The Indians will have to contend with the likes of Australia, Great Britain, Argentina, Malaysia and Pakistan as they attempt to defend their title and Dipsan added that the team was motivated to win a second consecutive title.
“We are motivated and also want to achieve a similar feat in the upcoming tournament and aim at giving our best to help the team to reach for the title,” he added.
Dipsan’s presence in the defence a great morale booster: Harmanpreet Singh
Dipsan has consistently shown his mettle of his attacking skills by showcasing an array of powerful attacking styles on the field and can be a certain addition to the senior squad for the upcoming World Hockey League Finals which is to played in November-December in Raipur.
Fellow defender Harmanpreet Singh, who has formed an exellent combination with Dipsan in recent months, also heaped praise on the young defender, saying his presence in defense was a huge morale booster for the group and added he expected him to play a key role in the tournament.
“He is a huge morale boost in the defence chain and I look at him to be the key member here for the tournament. The way he tackles the opponents is amazing and I’m trying to learn these tricks from him” as reported by Hockey India.
India will start their campaign in Malaysia against their arch-rivals Pakistan on 11th October 2015 at 16:05 IST.
