Athens: Mercurial striker and four-time Olympian Dhanraj Pillay would retire after the Athens Games, India's chief coach Gerhard Rach said in Athens today (Aug 24, 2004).

Rach said that two senior players were in line to hang their boots once the Games concluded. Asked specifically if Pillay was one of them, he said, "Yes. I have been told that he will retire after the Olympics."

The German coach, whose tactics have been criticised by Pillay and Prabhjot Singh, said he was not worried by what lay in store for India who have had a disastrous show in the Games with just one win from five matches.

"Right now we have the Olympics at hand. We will worry about the future later but I know for sure that two senior players will retire after the Games."

Asked whether the second player was Baljit Singh Dhillon, he laughed and said, "You seem to know everything."