Former India skipper Dhanraj Pillay slammed hockey coach Michael Nobbs' decision to leave out experienced players for the Olympic qualifiers' (Feb 18-26) line-up.


Dhanraj Pillay

The omission of seasoned campaigners like Rajpal Singh and Arjun Halappa didn't go down well with the four-time Olympian.

"In the Olympic qualifiers every big country fields the best players they have. I don't know why Nobbs didn't pick some of the senior most players. They are essential in such tournaments.

"God forbid, if we fail to make the qualifying cut, then Nobbs is answerable not just to the nation, but each and every hockey lover," Pillay said at the sidelines of the Marks for Sports Campaign at St Andrew's College ground yesterday.