He can be called the Rahul Dravid of Indian hockey for his ability to maintain his cool during a crisis and serve as a "wall" at the time of  fierce opposition onslaught.

Described by his captain Dhanraj Pillay as the "best defender in the world", Dilip Tirkey though comes across as a  very modest and down-to-earth person, who transforms himself into a hard nut to crack once he gets to his favourite  position -- in the Indian half.

"I enjoy the pressure since it brings out the best in me. It is the duty of the defenders to ensure that the team does not concede anything and I always try to give my best in every match," he says.

Making his international debut in 1995, Tirkey, a former India captain, has since then become an integral part of the side doing his role to perfection in almost every match he has played so far.

His consistent performance has earned him a big fan in his captain Pillay, who sees in him a "player for the future".

"I am much impressed with Dilip's work over the years. I can say he is the best defender in the world and he has the  potential to serve the country for years to come," said Pillay, who attributed Tirkey's success to a "cool head on the shoulder".

"He is quite intelligent and plans his game according to the need of the hour. He is quite balanced and focussed as  well. He is an integral part to our gameplan as he never allows the pressure to affect his game."

Tirkey is working hard to justify the faith the team management has reposed on him.

"My future depends on my fitness and I am working hard to be in perfect physical shape," said the 25-year old.

The player from Orissa, who captained the side before being replaced by Pillay earlier this year, said he enjoyed his brief stint as skipper.

"Though I enjoyed my tenure as captain I was not disappointed when Dhanrajbhai was given the reins, since he is the seniormost player in the side. But one-day I would like to lead the side again."

Tirkey, who has also excelled as a penalty-corner specialist, said he was disappointed by the way the game is being treated in the country.

"People are rarely seeing us in action since there is no television coverage of the matches. We are having even domestic cricket matches live but our fine performances in many important tournaments are going unnoticed. That is affecting the game badly as many brilliant players are not getting due recognition."

He said though the Indian team is performing very well in recent times, people judge their showings by seeing only the scoreline.

"In the final in Perth last month, we played much better than Australia but lost the match closely. Unfortunately, everybody back home only saw the scoreline and not our performance on field," he lamented.

He also favoured Indian players playing in professional leagues abroad since it can give them better exposure.

"Due to our international commitments we hardly get any time to play professional hockey in foreign countries. It can  provide very good exposure and financial support to players.

"However, we need to have a tournament on the lines of the National Football League where all the teams in the country can contest for a coveted title and a heavy purse," he observed.

He said India should also play more and more bilateral series and international tournaments at home.

"No doubt we are regularly going out for tournaments abroad but there is hardly any matches being held in India.

"Even countries like Malaysia are holding several tournaments.

"It can be very helpful to budding players and can generate a lot of funds for development of the game in the country."

As a senior member of a young side, Tirkey also praised his teammates for coming up with fine performances in recent tournaments.

"Almost all the 14 members of the junior World Cup-winning side, who are part of the national team now, are doing a great job and the country's fortunes rest on their shoulders.

"The best part about them is their attitude. They have tremendous faith in themselves and have a desire to win.

"The coach (Rajinder Singh) has also been a big influence on the team and is to a great extent responsible for infusing the killer instinct among the players," he said.