HIL auctions: Dhanraj Pillay bats for senior players

MUMBAI: Air India coach Dhanraj Pillay was an extremely content man. For, Air India, who had last won the Guru Tegh Bahadur Gold Cup hockey tournament way back in 2008, reclaimed the prestigious title by defeating Army XI 3-1 via the shootout at Churchgate's Mahindra Stadium on Thursday.
READ ALSO: Strange Hockey India rule leaves senior players in lurch
But the Olympian, who is also a Khel Ratna award winner, appealed to Hockey India (HI) that they reconsider their move of not including Indian players above the age of 30 for the HIL auctions, as reported by TOI on Thursday.
"I request Narinder Batra to reconsider the decision. Players like Adrian D'Souza, Arjun Halappa, Prabodh Tirkey have left a deep impact on hockey and they are still as capable as they were a few years back. If foreigners who are above the age of 30 can be accommodated, I am sure Indians can as well.
"These players have given invaluable services to the sport. Even today in places like Punjab, Delhi, Haryana and Chandigarh, they are a household name," former India skipper said.
Pillay also assured that Air India will acquire services of talented youngsters in the days to come. "Our plan is to contract a few talented youngsters. We need reinforcements to able to create a right balance in the team. Some of the players have been playing day-in and day-out for us for almost a decade now. The idea is to give them adequate rest between matches. Our secretary Jagbir Singh was a hockey player and he has given us the go-ahead and contract fresh legs. So hopefully when we return to play in Mumbai's Super League, next month, we will have a few fresh faces."
Follow TOI Sports on Twitter >>> @TOISportsNews