- India take on Pakistan in the Hockey Asia Cup match in Dhaka on Sunday.
- After thrashing Japan 5-1 and Bangladesh 7-0, India lead Pool A with six points.
- The match is scheduled to start at 5pm. It will be broadcasted on Star Sports and streamed online on Hotstar.
After two easy wins, a confident India takes on Pakistan in the much-anticipated clash of the Asia Cup hockey tournament, in Dhaka on Sunday, 15 October.
Rated as favourites to win the title, India have been impressive so far, beating Japan 5-1 and hosts Bangladesh 7-0 in their opening two Pool A matches.
Pakistan, on the other hand, have had a mixed outing so far. While they thrashed Bangladesh 7-0 in their campaign opener, they were held to a 2-2 draw by Japan in their next match.
India are currently sitting atop Pool A, with six points from two wins, while Pakistan are placed second with four points.
With two wins, India are comfortably through to the Super 4 stage of the tournament and would be hoping to finish the pool stage with an all-win record.
In the first two games, India showcased beautiful one-touch hockey and used both flanks to create numerous scoring chances. While they’ve scored some excellent field goals, India’s penalty corner conversion rate is a matter of concern for the Sjoerd Marine-coached side.
Against Bangladesh, India earned as many as 13 penalty corners, but could make use of just two.
History suggests that any Indo-Pak hockey duel is full of not just excitement and drama but also frayed tempers. Pakistan might not be the most potent force in world hockey presently but when it comes to playing against India, the intensity touches a new level.
Of late, India have dominated arch-foes Pakistan in hockey, the latest being the 6-1 thrashing in a 5th-8th place classification match of the Hero Hockey World League Semi- Final in London in June.
That loss dented Pakistan's hopes of booking a berth at the next year's World Cup to be held in Bhubaneswar and the Pakistanis would be desperate for revenge.
With four world titles and three Asia Cup titles (1982, 1985, 1989), the 14th-ranked Pakistan have been blighted by poor management and security concerns.
But with a new management in place, Pakistan have recalled some experienced players in the squad and this could make things better rather than worse.
For Pakistan it is a big game as a loss can dent their Super 4 chances as Japan is expected to win hands down against Bangladesh in the other Pool A match of the day.
(With inputs from PTI.)
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