PTI

Chandigarh, Mar 7: Indian hockey captain Dilip Tirkey has urged the players to respect the umpire's authority and set an example for young talents through their sporting behaviour on the turf.

Tirkey led Orissa Steelers to the Premier Hockey League triumph with a 4-3 win over Sher-e-Jalandhar in the deciding final here on Monday night but the match was marred by unsavoury incidents with the losing team manhandling umpire Satender Sharma after he awarded the winning goal by the captain.

The Orissa defender stressed that the players needed to honour an umpire's authority instead of challenging it.

"It (manhandling of umpire) does not set a good example for the young talents," he told PTI.

Asked if Indian players had benefited from playing in the two-month long PHL held in Chennai and Chandigarh, Tirkey said it was a good experience to play along side some of the best players from within the country and abroad.

"You get to play with a variety of players. Our boys did really well in the tournament and we finished at the top of our league matches," Tirkey said, adding "such tournaments do help in giving a boost to hockey".

He, however, felt that long gaps between the matches should be avoided to sustain the interests of the players and the audiences as well.

Commenting on the national side, the veteran defender said his squad lacked the sting in the attack, while penalty corner conversion was another worry.

"We have to work hard and improve in some areas. I would say that we are weak in our attacks and there is room for improvement here," he explained.

"Short corner and trapping needs improvement and there are also some technical areas which we have to sort out," he said, adding the defence also needed to be strengthened.

He said the team definitely needs to work hard to come out the current slump and should look forward to put up their best show in the upcoming tournaments.