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Dhanraj
Pillai
He is one of Indian hockey's most dangerous forwards;
a person who has become famous for his on-field
as well as off-field theatrics. Dhanraj will do
anything for a win. Sometimes, the entire team
may give up, but Pillai will keep on trying to
forge a move. With assets like speed and ball
control, Pillai can unsettle any defence in the
world. Until he is in the circle, no defence in
the world can ever relax. His turn of speed in
the circle is his main weapon, which throws defenders
off track. The crowning moment of his career came
when India won the Asiad hockey gold in the 1998
Bangkok Asiad games under his captaincy.
Hrishikesh
Kanitkar
 Debutant
against Sri Lanka in 1998 in one day internationals,
this left-handed lower order batsman has some
good scores to his credit. With a cool head and
the ability to hit the ball out of the ground,
he is ideal when you need to score quick runs,
especially in the dying overs. He has proved this
by scoring the winning runs against Pakistan in
the 1998 Bangladesh Independence cup final. He
is a permanent member of the Maharashtra Ranji
team.
Abhijit
Kunte
 This
chess player is ready to enter the world of the
big daddys - i.e. the Grand Masters. Just four
years ago, in 1996, he was ready to quit the game
as he had done nothing remarkable in the 64 piece
version. Then he wanted to study Law or Management
to go on and achieve his second ambition - join
politics. The year 1997 was a good one for the
23 year old. He won the junior national title
for the third time in a row, the National A title
for the first time, and also the Junior Asian
crown. Crowning the list of titles, he won the
Closed GM Tournament in Calicut. Three years down
the line, he is happy to continue with his first
love and also be Indias 4th Grand Master after
V. Anand, D Barua and P Thipsay.
Chandu
Borde
 This
veteran made his test debut in 1958-59 against
the West Indies and played 55 Tests thereafter.
Borde's career had a storybook start when in his
first test series he scored 109 and 96 against
the all-conquering West Indian side in 1958-59.
For the next few years, he displayed his all round
skills in abundant measure. With Salim Durrani,
he played a leading role in India, winning the
rubber against England in 1961-62. One of the
best players of fast bowling, Borde made runs
consistently and handsomely against McKenzie,
Hall and Griffith. He probably reached his peak
when he got two centuries in three Tests against
West Indies in 1966-67.
Borde, who enjoyed an eventful tenure as Chairman
of Selectors in 1980-84, was then named manager
of the Indian team under Krishnamachari Srikkanth's
captaincy to Pakistan in 1989. Earlier he was
entrusted with the same job in the year 1984-86.
In 1999, he was appointed The Chairman of Selectors
for the second time. Taking the assignment as
a challenge, Borde, said, ``I love a challenge
and I'm prepared for the job. I have lot of time
to spare for the game.'' Now retired, Borde works
as a consultant with Premier Automobiles in Pune.
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