Former captain of the Indian hockey team Olympian Dhanraj Pillay is overjoyed after the Indian hockey team defeated the Great Britain team 4-2. Pillay expressed the feeling that after almost 24 years I saw such a match and after 44 years the Indian team could win the gold medal.
Dhanraj Pillay got emotional after the Indian hockey team’s win. Tears of joy started flowing from his eyes. Dhanraj Pillay said, “I have seen such a good match after many years. Now I am confident that this team can bring us an Olympic gold medal after 44 years.”
Dhanraj Pillai, who has played in four Olympics and four World Cups, said, “Tears started flowing from my eyes. This is the first time such a match has been seen since the Sydney Olympics in 2000. Sreejesh stood like a wall in front of the goal post and the saves he made were nothing short of a miracle. I really enjoyed watching the match. When India scored the fourth goal in the penalty shootout, I started screaming loudly. People started telling me that the building people would come out, but I was so happy I couldn’t tell.“
Dhanraj Pillay said, “I enjoyed this match after many years. Didn’t move for a minute. Trying to control his emotions.” He continued, “I have no words to appreciate this performance. 42 min Playing a quarter-final with ten players was not easy. We got defensive but it was necessary. The way Sreejesh and our defenders played today and the four showed incredible skill in the penalty shootout.“
Asked what advice he would give to the team for the semi-finals, Dhanraj Pillay said, “I would advise them to play like this and not put any pressure on themselves. The way this team has played these six matches, I believe they can give us an Olympic gold medal after 44 years.”
“This Indian team has everything it takes to become Olympic champions. Along with the players, I saw Craig Fulton and Shivendra Singh in the coaching staff, they were so full of energy and constantly standing up and giving instructions,” said Dhanraj Pillai.
Putting Sreejesh, who played his last tournament, in the list of India’s greatest players, Dhanraj Pillay stated, “Indian hockey has produced many great players but I will place Sreejesh in the category of legends.” A player like him comes once in a generation. After defeating Australia in the last pool match of the Olympics after 52 years, Sreejesh said that Dhanraj Pillai was one of the players of this generation.
Dhanraj said, “This is a great compliment for me. If someone appreciates my contribution and that too a player like Sreejesh, it is a matter of pride. Now this team must win gold for Sreejesh and Manpreet Singh.”
