A leading public school in Delhi has roped in India hockey captain Dhanraj Pillay to develop interest amongst school children for the game by popularising six-a-side matches.
"This type of hockey is fast gaining popularity in the country and it is already a success in Mumbai. This will be less taxing on the children since it will be of half an hour duration and will be exciting to follow," said the mercurial striker while inaugurating a hockey ground at the Heritage School in Gurgaon near Delhi.
"It is necessary to develop interest amongst young kids for the game since the game's future depends on them," he said.
"I hope and ask all the schools in the country to rebuild Indian hockey by providing support right from the junior level," he added.
Manit Jain, the director of the school, said the star player has assured all possible help to make the six-a-side matches a success.
"He has assured that he will bring national and international-level players to witness various tournaments we are planning to hold in the next few months," Jain said.
He also said the new style of hockey is needed to be introduced in all schools since Indians are "naturally talented and pick hockey more easily than any other game".
Jain said his school will be hosting a six-a-side tournament featuring several Delhi schools in November.
