Dhanraj Pillay Biography 
Dhanraj Pillay is an Indian hockey player who served as the captain of the Indian hockey team. He was born on 16th July 1968 in Kirkee in Pune in Maharashtra. His parents are Nagalingam Pillay and Andalamma.
His mother tongue is Tamil. But he is proficient in other languages like Marathi, Hindi and English. He remains a bachelor until now. He has three elder brothers and one younger brother. Though his family struggled financially, his mother encouraged her sons to concentrate in hockey. One of his brothers Ramesh Pillay also has represented India in international matches.
He took part in the Junior National Hockey Tournament when he was 17 years old. In 1987 he played at Sanjay Gandhi Tournament at Delhi. He was noticed by the hockey coach Joquim Carvalho. Upon his request he joined Mahindra & Mahindra team at Mumbai.
His debut match was in the Allwyn Asia Cup Hockey Tournament in 1989. His international debut was on 20th December 1989 against China. He played at many international matches that include Beijing Asian Games 1990, World Cup Hockey Tournament 1994, Barcelona Olympic Games 1992, 4 Olympic Games of 1992, 1996, 2000 and 2004 and World Cup Tournaments of 1990, 1994, 1998 and 2002.
He also took part in the Champions Trophies of 1995, 1996, 2002 and 2003 and Asian Games of 1990, 1994, 1998 and 2002. He served as the captain of the team that won the 1998 Asian Games and 2003 Asia Cup. He emerged as the highest goal scorer in the Bangkok Asian Games. He has also played for Indian Gymkhana of London, HC Lyon of France, HTC Stuttgart Kickers of Germany and Abhahani Limited of Dhaka.
He received Padma Shri award from Government of India in 2000 and Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award in 1999-2000. He took part in the World Eleven in the 1994 World Cup. He is noted for his superfast performance that he could cover 100m in just 11.6 seconds. He was given the Player of the Tournament award in the Champions Trophy tournament 2002 at Cologne in Germany.
Published: N/A
Updated: April 26, 2012
