25th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup: Electric India-Pakistan game on the card
Ipoh (Malaysia): With medal hopes at stake, a scrappy India will have to lift their game by several notches when they take on Pakistan in the 25th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament on Tuesday, in what promises to be an intense encounter.
Five-time winners of the tournament, India were bronze medallists last year and are eager to stay in medal contention. But the Sardar Singh-led side, featuring several youngsters, will have to raise their game after surviving a torrid time against Canada on Sunday.
India’s 3-1 victory on Sunday has placed them third in the round-robin league standings with six points from three outings, while Pakistan have three points from as many matches. Pakistan’s lone win came over Canada by a similar margin.
World champions Australia lead the standings with a maximum nine points from three consecutive victories, while defending champions New Zealand are on eight points from four matches.
The intense hockey rivalry between the two Asian teams has always attracted immense interest. Despite slumping from their position as top hockey nations, an India-Pakistan encounter never fails to be a showstopper at any tournament.
The silver jubilee edition of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup will see the spotlight focused on the sub-continental encounter even as World No.1 Australia take on title holders New Zealand in another fixture the same day.
“The whole of India is waiting for the next game, but I keep telling the boys that this is just another game,” said India’s chief coach Roelant Oltmans. “We should maintain focus on our game just like in any other match. We have a tough schedule starting with the match against Pakistan,” said the Dutchman.
Pakistan coach Khwaja Junaid, a former international, wants his players to display their skills and control the emotions when they play India on Tuesday.
“The match against India will be a turnover game,” said Junaid.
“The team that manages to defend the counter-attacks better will have an edge. We are now trying to rebuild our squad. What is important is that we follow our game-strategy, play in a structure and show unity in the field,” he said.
