When Sunday dawns upon the English capital, here, it will serve a fiesta that’s the benchmark for sporting rivalries across the globe. On the 22 yards of the cricket pitch and the astro turf of hockey, the skill and animosity of India and Pakistan will be there for the world to witness and savour.
Nothing matches the obsession for cricket in the two countries, and considering the occasion at the Kia Oval – the Champions Trophy final, it keeps the Indo-Pak Hockey World League (HWL) clash at the Lee Valley Tennis and Hockey Centre in second spot, but certainly not overlooked.
To settle that argument down, India coach Roelant Oltmans was bang on the money. “I think our match happens during the lunch break at cricket. So I am sure billions will hook on to hockey as well, before cricket resumes,” he said.
The otherwise skillful Pakistanis have had a rather shambolic start to the tournament. A 0-4 defeat against Netherlands was followed by an embarrassing 0-6 drubbing at the hands of Canada. And if India keeps the trend going, Pakistan could be on their way to missing out on a second consecutive World Cup.
Weakened Pakistan seek to make point
The HWL Semifinals also serve as the World Cup qualifiers and only the top four teams from here will progress to the Finals to be held in India later this year.
India’s start at the event was nervous as well, but only for the first 30 minutes. The next 15 produces four goals, which secured a 4-1 win over Scotland. The Canadians, who hunted Pakistan down, had their tails up against India, but it soon went between their legs with three first-half goals from India that ensured a 3-0 result.
Looking at the distance the two teams have covered so far, Pakistan are yet to score in the tournament, while India have enjoyed as much as the Londoners relishing sunny conditions this summer.
“We hardly get to play international hockey, touring other countries costs a lot, while India have everything at their disposal, which is why their hockey is on the up,” Pakistan coach Muhammad Khawaja Junaid had said after the defeat against Netherlands.
But he had also promised a better show against Canada after the opening defeat. “Kal app ek alag Pakistan team dekhenge (tomorrow you will see a different Pakistan team),” he had said. But as things panned out, Pakistan suffered one of their worst defeats (0-6) in recent years.
“Just another team”
However, captain Manpreet Singh and his team are only focusing on what they have to do rather than what the opposition isn’t able to do.
The forwards are in fine form, with six field goals coming from Ramandeep Singh (2), Akashdeep Singh (2), SV Sunil (1) and Sardar Singh (1). But what will worry India is the five penalty corners that went futile against Canada.
The defence may be missing goalkeeper PR Sreejesh and defender Rupinder Pal Singh (both ruled out due to injury) as well as full-back VR Raghunath, who is not in the squad, but the youngsters have held the fort well so far.
Harmanpreet, Kothajit Singh and Jasjit Singh Kular are playing the role of seniors to guide the likes of Surender Kumar and Pardeep Mor, while assistant coach Jugraj Singh is closely monitoring the defence and spending extra time with goalkeepers Akash Chikte and Vikas Dahiya.
But an India-Pakistan encounter isn’t always decided on reputation and form. Emotions bring the best out of players when a win against archrivals is at stake.
For the record, Pakistan will also like to keep its all-win record against India in London intact. However, those two victories date as far back as 1967 and 1986. But overall, Pakistan enjoy an 82-55 win/loss record with 30 matches ending in stalemates.
India, though, will be quick to remind their neighbours of the numbers since 2010, which are 12-8 in favour of India, besides 7 drawn affairs. Those figures are already set in stone; what’s not yet is the game on Sunday. And while the fun at cricket may last for a longer duration, hockey has a knack of producing a thrill that’s unmatched in any India-Pakistan sporting rivalry.
Manpreet, though, did a good job at calming his team’s nerves ahead of the clash. “We always look at Pakistan as just another team,” he said. Really? The fans surely think otherwise.
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