NEW DELHI, July 19: Dhanraj Pillay was set to play in his fourth Olympics after being included in India's 16-man field hockey squad for the Athens Games on Monday.
The 35-year-old veteran, left out of major competitions for the last 10 months, was among the six strikers named in the squad by the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF). The IHF selectors picked the team in Dusseldorf, Germany, late on Sunday at the conclusion of a four-nation event where India finished second behind Germany despite holding the world champions to a 3-3 draw.
Pillay did not play in the Olympic qualifiers in Spain in March, in which India finished fourth to make the trip to Athens, and was also omitted from a preliminary 30-man pool for the Games.
But the IHF reinstated him in the training camp when former players led protest marches through the streets of New Delhi in June to press for his inclusion. India, who won seven Olympic golds between 1928 and 1964, have fallen badly since adding an eighth gold at the Moscow Games in 1980 which did not feature hockey powerhouses like Australia, Germany and Pakistan due to the US-led boycott.
They finished seventh at Sydney in 2000. Meanwhile, German Gerhard Rach replaced Rajinder Singh as India's national hockey coach on Monday. The former India defender stepped down in favour of Rach, who has been working with the team as a consultant the past month.
"More or less, Rajinder has opted out," K.P.S. Gill, the IHF president, said. "Rach did a commendable job with the team of late. He will be the chief coach at the Olympics."
Rajinder was given the coach's job midway through the 2002 World Cup in Kuala Lumpur, where Cedric D'Souza was sacked after a few poor results. India had a good run under Rajinder in 2003 but lost a series of tournaments earlier this year, including a drubbing at home in a three-match series against the Netherlands.
India have been drawn in Pool 'B' of the 12-nation event at Athens alongside defending champions the Netherlands, Australia, Argentina, New Zealand and South Africa. Pool 'A' comprises Pakistan, Germany, South Korea, Great Britain, Spain and Egypt. The top two teams from each pool will qualify for the semifinals.
INDIAN SQUAD:
Goalkeepers: Devesh Chauhan, Adrian D'Souza.
Defenders: Dilip Tirkey (captain), William Xalco, Harpal Singh.
