Four Jharkhand boys have been selected for the national junior hockey camp, the first time a quartet of male players would be attending from the state that has been sending women to national camps regularly.

The players, all tribals, who will be attending the camp are Asim Tirkey, Danish Kerketta (both from Simdega), Birsa Odia and Atish Dodrai (both from Khunti district). Dodrai is currently associated with Tata Hockey Academy and the rest are from the state-run hockey excellence centre in Ranchi.

Hockey Jharkhand will announce the venue and dates for the camp soon. Vice president of the state outfit Manoj Konbegi said that while women players of Jharkhand have been regularly making their presence felt in the national circuit for several years now, it was encouraging that men of the state were being recognised too.

All the four tribal boys were part of the state team which thrashed Haryana to become champions in the sub-junior national meet held in Haryana in March last year.

Danish Karketta The Telegraph

“The developments indicate that Jharkhand continues to remain a hockey talent hub where players, who mostly hail from humble backgrounds, are breaking the ceiling on their sheer talent, hard work and dedication,” he said. The Covid-19 pandemic derailed training and sporting activities in Jharkhand for the last two years as most schools and residential centres for sports had to remain shut for several months.

Birsa Odia The Telegraph

“In Jharkhand since players are from poor families, their diet and training go haywire if residential sports centres are closed. It is because players can’t afford to spend from their pockets to maintain their physical fitness and diet regime. As an association, we have tried to provide assistance in the form of gear, funds and food by visiting homes of players during the lockdown,” he said.

Asim Tirkey The Telegraph Picture