NEW DELHI, June 15: Dhanraj Pillay, who led India to the Asian Games gold medal in 1998 and celebrated his return as skipper with a win in the three-nation tournament in Sydney, says he is really happy to be the captain once again.

I think I deserve it. I was the captain when we won the 1998 Asian Games gold medal and then, several players 6-7 years junior to me were made skippers, he said in an interview.

Though the dashing forward did not score too many Down Under, he was the man behind most of the goal-scoring moves.

At 35, Pillay is still one of the fittest players in the side and has not lost his hunger for big time competition. He knows that he will have to play a crucial role in the run-up to the 2004 Olympic Games and is eagerly waiting for his next assignment.

“Anyway I was sure I would get back the captaincy one day and I’m thankful to the coach and the federation (IHF) for giving me this honour. The win in Australia has thus given me that extra satisfaction,” he said.

To a qyery what does this victory over Australia and Pakistan mean for India hockey? he observed,” They are among the top six teams in the world. Beating the Aussies was very satisfying, as we have not beaten them by such a huge margin in a long, long time. I agree they were experimenting. But even we are experimenting.”

“I still maintain that the pressure during an Indo-Pak game is much more than against any opponent. Yes, Pakistan were playing without their top four players — Sohail Abbas, Nadeem, Sarwar and Waseem Ahmed. Without them, their team was looking a bit raw.

“But four or five new Pakistani players I saw in Australia were all very good. Anyway, whatever the composition of a team, when India plays Pakistan it is always a close and a volatile encounter. The 2-0 win in Perth and the 4-4 draw in Sydney have given a big boost to our morale” he commented.—PPI