Thakur hopes to keep scoring

For someone who spent the last two years being completely sidelined,Deepak Thakurs re-emergence on the Indian hockey scene resembles a dream.

In the early 2000s,the Chandigarh-based forward formed a formidable trio along with Gagan Ajit Singh and Prabhjot Singh,before heading into oblivion after the 2006 Commonwealth Games,his last international outing. With the team set for a tough calendar this year,Thakur,who played a pivotal role in both of Indias wins against Argentina,is hoping to carry his form into the Punjab Gold Cup.

I made my debut against Germany in 1999,and the last time I played them was during the 2004 Champions Trophy. They have a very intelligent coach in (Markus) Weise and it will be tough to counter their every move, says Thakur,who played for the Stuttgart Kickers in the German League during his isolation from international hockey.

Valuable experience

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Thakur rates the experience high and hopes it will come in handy against Germany in Chandigarh. The German League sees the participation of some of the worlds best players and I gained a lot from playing with the likes of Max Weinhold,Max Muller and Tobias Hauke, he says.

The 28-year-old also believes that playing at home will help boost Indias confidence. The Argentina series gave me a chance to gain some confidence. I have been playing alongside Prabhjot and Rajpal but it was good playing with Tushar Khandker and Shivendra Singh. We showed some fine form during the tour and we are looking to continue the camaraderie, says Thakur.

Nitin Sharma

Nitin Sharma is an Assistant Editor with the sports team of The Indian Express. Based out of Chandigarh, Nitin works with the print sports desk while also breaking news stories for the online sports team. A Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award recipient for the year 2017 for his story ‘Harmans of Moga’, Nitin has also been a two-time recipient of the UNFPA-supported Laadli Media Awards for Gender Sensitivity for the years 2022 and 2023 respectively. Nitin mainly covers Olympics sports disciplines with his main interests in shooting, boxing, wrestling, athletics and much more. The last 17 years with The Indian Express has seen him unearthing stories across India from as far as Andaman and Nicobar to the North East. Nitin also covers cricket apart from women’s cricket with a keen interest. Nitin has covered events like the 2010 Commonwealth Games, the 2011 ODI World Cup, 2016 T20 World Cup and the 2017 AIBA World Youth Boxing Championships. An alumnus of School of Communication Studies, Panjab University, from where he completed his Masters in Mass Communications degree, Nitin has been an avid quizzer too. A Guru Nanak Dev University Colour holder, Nitin’s interest in quizzing began in the town of Talwara Township, a small town near the Punjab-Himachal Pradesh border. When not reporting, Nitin's interests lie in discovering new treks in the mountains or spending time near the river Beas at his hometown. ... Read More

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