It is said that blood oozed almost as much as the skillful dribbles in India vs Pakistan hockey matches of yesteryear. India hockey legend Dhanraj Pillay was among the prime witnesses to the intensity of this fabled hockey rivalry that is almost non-existent today. Pillay turned 50 yesterday, and despite having played four World Cups, four Asian Games, and four Olympics among a host of other tournaments between 1989 and 2004, he chose to recall a highpoint of his stellar career from an India vs Pakistan Test at Lahore's national stadium in 1998.

"As soon as we got off our bus at the Lahore Stadium, a group of Pakistani gentlemen came to me and said, 'Aaj dekhtein hain yeh Dhanraj Pillay mein kitna dum hai [today let's see what Dhanraj Pillay is made of]. The match was a classic and while we were leading 4-3, with a couple of minutes of play left, spectators began throwing stones at us on the ground.