Today’s big Asian Champions Trophy clash is not a tense one for already-qualified hosts even as neighbours want to show their bold side
Mandeep Singh congratulates Harmanpreet Singh (extreme right) after India’s second goal during the Asian Champions Trophy match against Korea in Chennai on August 7. Pic/AFP
There was a time when India v Pakistan hockey matches used to be blockbusters. Currently, they are building blocks for just one side—Pakistan. India’s traditional arch-rivals have come to the Asian Champions Trophy here with a team comprising mostly juniors—14 from the line-up of 20 to be precise with three debutants. So, they are not expecting much from today’s last league encounter with the hosts. “We have a young team and obviously realise that India are a far superior side. They are better than us not just in rankings [India are World No. 4 and Pakistan are 16] but in all other departments of the game too. But our young boys are bold and will play their hearts out,” said Pakistan coach Muhammad Saqlain at a pre-match press conference at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium here on Tuesday.
The last time Pakistan beat India was 15 meetings ago, back in 2016 at the SAFF Games in Guwahati. Since then, India have won 12 and drawn two. The last time the two teams met was at the 2022 Asia Cup in Dhaka with the match ending 1-1.
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Pakistan captain Umar Bhutta
Interestingly, both, the defeat in 2016 and the draw last year, were against second-string Indian teams. Historically, India and Pakistan have played each other 178 times, with Pakistan leading the head-to-head record with 82 victories while India have 64 with 32 matches drawn. This statistic again reflects a time when Pakistan had a decent hold on the sport. For the last decade or so, Pakistan’s hockey players have slipped a lot more than they’ve stood tall on the artificial turf.
For India, this game is almost inconsequential, considering they’ve already confirmed their semi-final berth with three wins and a draw. The Umar Bhutta-led Pakistan team, who have just one win, two draws and a defeat, need a win to keep their semi-final hopes alive. If they lose, their progress depends on the fate of the other two matches, Japan v China and Malaysia v Korea.
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Coach Saqlain believes he has an ace up his sleeve, though. “We have seen some weaknesses in the Indian team. In their draw against Japan and close win over Korea, they struggled quite a bit. India are trying to play like Australia, by starting with a burst. If we don’t let them control the first 15 minutes, anything can happen after that.
I’ve told my young boys to close their ears and focus on the game since many of them are playing an Indo-Pak match for the first time,” said former player Saqlain.
The Indian camp meanwhile, is calm as it should be. “We are looking at making improvements in our game rather than focusing on what the opponents will do,”
said skipper Harmanpreet Singh, going on to admit though that Pakistan are not the force in hockey they once used to be, “but that does not mean we will take them lightly.” Whatever the outcome, the flair associated with India and Pakistan is what most fans will be looking for in this one too. And if they’re lucky, the two teams could clash again in the semi-finals on August 11—if India top the table and Pakistan finish fourth.
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