One of India’s best centre forwards in hockey history, he is highly respected by rival teams.
He is the recipient of the Arjuna Puraskar (1995) and the K.K. Birla Award (1998-99) for excellence in Sports. He was also the highest goal scorer in the Bangkok Asian Games. He was the only Indian player to figure in the World Eleven side during the 1994 World Cup at Sydney.
Dhanraj Pillai Playing for Mahindra & Mahindra in the domestic circuit, he was chosen the Man of the Final in the Murugappa Gold Cup in 1999. He has also played for foreign clubs like the Indian Gymkhana (London), FC Lyon (France), Selangor (Kuala Lumpur), Abhahani Limited (Dhaka) and Stuttgart Kickers (Stuttgart).
He was part of the team, which came first in the four-nation tourney in Perth, Australia (2000) and the SAF games in Chennai (1995).
His dream is to be part of an Olympic Gold medal winning team.