Prabodh’s brother Ignace Tirkey also played for the Indian hockey team and was also the captain.
Former captain of Indian hockey team, Prabodh Tirkey (Pic Credit – Hockey India league website)
Odisha has made a major contribution to Indian Hockey. This state has given many great players to the country. Some of them earned their name with great vigor, while some continued to do their work quietly. One such name is Prabodh Tirkey. The midfielder Prabodh used to perform his work on turf, he used to see it. He kept his game highs from junior level and won many titles. Like his brother Ignace Tirkey, he played and captained the Indian team and led the country to many spectacular victories. Prabodh Tirkey spoke today in the Golden Days series.
Prabodh was born on 6 October 1984 in Lulkidhi village of Sundargarh district of Odisha. Like his brother Ignace, Prabodh also spent time in Rourkela’s Pamposh Sports Hostel from 1995 to 1998. He caught everyone’s attention with the All India Inter Sai Sports Hostel Tournament in 1997. Due to this performance, he got a place in the Center of Excellence Team. From here, his career started on a new path. He captained the team at the Sub Junior Asia Cup in 2000 and also won the title. He was also part of the Junior World Cup winning team in Hobart. After this he was also the captain of India-A.
Got a chance for the Indian team in 2002
Prabodh, who was constantly impressed with his game at the junior level, finally got a chance to play for the Indian team in 2002. He made his Indian debut for the HA Challenge at Perth under the captaincy of Rajinder Singh. Though he was troubled by injury, he became part of the team selected for the Afro-Asian Games in 2003. The team won the gold medal in this tournament. Prabodh, however, could not make it to the squad selected for the 2004 Olympic Games. Once again, he made a comeback in the Test series against Pakistan in 2004. In 2005, he went out of the team again but in 2006 he again made a comeback in the Pakistan Test series.
Success achieved in captaincy
After making a comeback, he became an important member of the team. The then coach Jokuim Carvalho made him the captain of the team. In May 2007, he became the captain of the team. Under his captaincy, the team earned consistent successes. It was under Prabodh’s captaincy that the team won a gold medal in the Asia Cup in 2007. This was the second time India had won gold in the Asia Cup. He won the first gold in 2003 and under the captaincy of Prabodh, the team successfully retained their title. He helped India win a silver in the Commonwealth Games in 2010 and a bronze medal in the Asian Games this year.
Not playing olympics
Prabodh had many successes but he could never play Olympic in his career. He was not in the team in the 2004 Olympics and in 2008 the Indian team did not qualify for the Olympics. In an interview given to MyCityLinks on October 4, 2018, Prabodh said, “I could not play the Olympics and these things would keep knocking in my mind all my life.” We did not qualify for the Beijing Olympics in 2008. It took away my chance to be called an Olympian. I played for my country for 10 years but could not play the Olympics. “
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