The two veterans are sure to figure among the 26 Olympic probables, to be announced by the Indian Hockey Federation in Delhi on Monday.
The IHF chief described the controversy surrounding Dhanraj Pillay's exclusion as "uncalled for."
Five goalkeepers, four full backs, 10 mid-fielders and 11 forwards figure in the 30-man list.
India have never won the prestigious Champions Trophy and it's best ever show has been a third place finish.
Putting the blame squarely on the long-standing power struggle between Hockey India and Indian Hockey Federation for the steep decline of the national game, former captain Dhanraj Pillay expressed his desire to join the administration of the sport.
The captain of India's hockey team will feature in a video that will create awareness about a social cause.
The veteran striker was reported to be unhappy playing under a 'much junior' Viren Rasquinha.
Baljit Dhillon, Baljit Singh Saini, Dinesh Nayak, Didar Singh, Tejbir Singh and goalkeeper Kamaldeep Singh have also been left out.
The chief coach said, "Whatever I did was in the best interests of the team." Pillay said the matter was best forgotten.
India's captain says recent performances have made the 'world stand up and take notice of Indian hockey'.
The former India ace scored the only goal of the match in the final against Border Security Force.
India hockey captain Dilip Tirkey says Pillay's experience will be missed at the upcoming Olympic hockey qualifier in Madrid.
Skipper Dhanraj Pillay said the team will try to rectify the mistakes it committed during the Champions Trophy hockey tournament.
Mercurial forward Dhanraj Singh, Baljit Singh Dhillon and Jugraj Singh have been included among the 26-probables for the Olympics.
Airlines beat J&K Police 6-0 to enter the last 8 in the Bombay Gold Cup hockey tournamwent.
Several former Olympians were among around 6,000 sports buffs who took part in a colourful 'Walk for Hockey' to kick start the centenary celebrations of the Bengal Hockey Association in Kolkata on Sunday. A galaxy of Indian hockey legends including Leslie Claudius, Keshav Dutt, Gurbux Singh, Jaswant Rajput, Ashok Kumar, Pargat Singh and Dhanraj Pillay rode on well decked-up phaetons to create awareness about the national game and revive hockey in the state.
The hockey veteran of four Olympics said the team should work on fitness as only four months are left for the elite six-nation tournament, in Chennai.
The Indian Hockey Federation announced an experimental side for the January 8-18 tournament in Kuala Lumpur.
The India captain said the concept is less taxing and easy to follow.
Indian badminton team's chief coach Pullela Gopichand, multiple world title holder cueist Pankaj Advani, former hockey captain Dhanraj Pillay were some of the prominent names who made financial contribution in country's fight against coronavirus pandemic.
Waiting for ministry confirmation, but good decision to give Pak the nod: Tirkey
Former India captain Dhanraj Pillay has expressed a desire to be the coach of the national hockey team. He claims that if given a free hand he can deliver results within a year.
Cyclone 'Titli' did dampen the spirits of hockey fans to some extent but not veterans like Dilip Tirkey and Dhanraj Pillay who were excited about the exhibition match played, in Bhubaneswar, on Wednesday.
Pillay said fitness is the key asset of the Manpreet Singh-led side going into the Games
The IHF chief is alleged to have abused and ordered journalists to leave the hockey cam they had gone to cover.
Former India captain Dhanraj Pillay on Monday batted for participation of Pakistan's players in the Hockey India League (HIL) tournament and urged Hockey India to take up the issue with politicians to ensure their presence in the future editions of the franchise-based league.
The PHL Trophy, made from Swarovski Crystals, was unveiled in Hyderabd on Tuesday.
Former captain Dhanraj Pillay said the Indian hockey team was lacking on all fronts.
Sunil Gavaskar, P T Usha, Geet Sethi, Dhanraj Pillay and Irfan Pathan have joined hands to spread the message of 'Sports for Development and Peace'.
A look at the star arrivals.
Several senior players including Dhanraj Pillay and Baljit Singh Dhillon were not included in the 18-member squad.
Ace forward Dhanraj Pillay was not considered for selection as he is still nursing an injury.\n\n
The IHF president said he made the "mistake" of including the likes of Dhanraj Pillay in the team for the Olympics.
Favourites Indian Oil retained the Beighton Cup hockey title, outplaying Punjab National Bank (PNB) 5-2 in the title clash in Kolkata on Sunday.
India's hockey legend Dhanraj Pillay left many surprised when he turned up for a game of cricket in Mumbai on Saturday.
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