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Pakistani officials praise Indian top striker
Dhanraj
SYDNEY: Top Pakistani sports officials yesterday praised India's top hockey star, setting aside five decades of political rivalry that often spills over to sports.
"What a great player he is,'' Brig. Musarrat Ullah Khan, team leader of the Pakistani hockey team, said of Dhanraj Pillay, who is playing his third and final Olympics in Sydney.
"If there were three like him, nobody could have taken away anything from Indian hockey,'' Musarrat said, as his team practised for their first match against Canada on Saturday.
"I don't think any coach can work out a perfect strategy to stop him,'' Musarrat added.
Dhanraj is known as a magician with the stick. But he's also one of the fastest centre-forwards in the sport, able to sprint 100 metres in 11 seconds.
"We can't say it will happen--India and Pakistan meeting at the semi-finals. But if it happens we will all worry about what Dhanraj is going to do,'' said Islahuddin, Pakistan's chief coach.
In Group A, Pakistan will be up against world champions Holland, 1988 Olympic champion Britain and Germany, along with Canada and Malaysia.
"I am not going to make a prediction, but my feeling is that we may be able to do it,'' Islahuddin said of Pakistan's chances of making it into the semi-finals.
In Group B, India will be matched against Australia, South Korea, Poland, Spain and Argentina.
"It will just be good to play against India,'' said team leader Musarrat. "The Indians have shaped up well and may make it. This is my gut feeling.''
Pakistan are putting a lot of hope on their penalty corner specialist, Sohail Abbas, who will be making his first Olympic appearance.
"He has trained hard and mastered different techniques to convert short corners,'' said coach Islahuddin.
Abbas has registered 33% success in converting penalty corners.--AP
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