NEW DELHI, 20 July 2004 — Striker Dhanraj Pillay has been named in India’s squad for the Athens Games, ending months of uncertainty over his chances of playing his fourth Olympics.
The 35-year-old Pillay, India’s most capped player, was controversially excluded from a list of Olympic probables in May but was later added to an Indian training camp after a pleas from across the country for his inclusion.
Regarded as the face of Indian hockey for over a decade, Pillay was finally picked in the 16-member squad announced by the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) in Duesseldorf, Germany, where India were playing a four-nation practice tournament. The squad, led by defender Dilip Tirkey, also includes experienced striker Baljeet Singh Dhillon.
Meanwhile, German Gerhard Rach replaced Rajinder Singh as India’s national hockey coach yesterday with less than a month to go to the Athens Olympics. The former India defender stepped down in favor of Rach, who has been working with the team as a consultant the past month. “More or less, Rajinder has opted out,” KPS Gill, the president of the India’s hockey federation, told Reuters. “Rach did a commendable job with the team of late. He will be the chief coach at the Olympics.”
