Hockey World League semis: India face Pakistan in a blockbuster league tie
The Indian men’s hockey team, who are ranked 9th in the world will meet the team ranked 1 spot below them, arch-rivals Pakistan in their 3rd league game in Pool A of the Hockey World League (HWL) semis. The whole world will be watching this clash of the neighbours, billed as the match of the tournament, owing to the fierce rivalry between the two.
India head into this match with two wins out of two, having beaten France by the narrowest of margins in their 3-2 win and Poland comfortably by 3 goals to nil. On the other hand, Pakistan will face India after narrowly beating lowly Poland 2-1 and receiving a thrashing at the hands of Australia 6-1!
Both the teams will want to get a win, as India will look to continue their winning run and maintain pressure on the team at the top of the table – Australia, who they face in their final league match. Pakistan will want to get back to winning ways by getting the better of the Indians, who have already qualified for the Olympics, and hope for an easier path to the final.
Squad
India
Goalkeepers: PR Sreejesh, Harjot Singh
Defenders: Manpreet Singh, Birendra Lakra, Jasjit Singh Kular, Gurmail Singh
Halfbacks (Midfielders): Gurbaj Singh, Dharamvir Singh, Sardar Singh, Chinglensana Singh, Lalit Upadhyay, Devindar Walmiki, Rupinder Pal Singh
Forwards: SV Sunil, Nikkin Thimmaiah, Yuvraj Walmiki, Akashdeep Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Satbir Singh
Pakistan
Goalkeepers: Imran Butt,Mazhar Abbas
Defenders: Irfan Muhammad, Imran Muhammad, Syed Shah
Halfbacks (Midfielders): Rashid Mehmood, Jr. Muhammad Rizwan, Fareed Ahmed, Ammad Shakeel Butt, Toseeq Muhammad,
Forwards: Waqas Muhammad, Muhammad Umar Bhutta, Shafqat Rasool, Ali Shan, Sr. Muhammad Rizwan, Muhammad Yaqoob, Muhammad Dilber, Muhammad Ali.
Key Players
PR Sreejesh
Pakistan has scored all three goals in this tournament through penalty corners. This will put all the pressure on the Indian custodian, who will have to be at his best to stop the Pakistani team from scoring. His reflexes will play a huge part in how this game will turn out. In both the matches, Sreejesh stood up when called upon and if not for him, India could have been without a win in the tournament.
Sardar Singh
He is again proving to be the backbone of this Indian side. He is leading the side by example as it was his remarkable run that made the winner against France and it was his solo goal against Poland that put the match to bed. The side very much depends on him as he holds the ball in midfield and has the ability to change the direction of attack with a single pass.
Imran Muhammad
The captain of this young Pakistani side is a hard defender to get through. He is the most experienced member in the squad and can be a wall to break for the opposition team. The 36-year old holds the side together and can also chip in with important goals, donning the cap of the penalty-corner specialist. He will want his team to perform better than they did against Australia against this youthful Indian attack.
Irfan Muhammad
He is the leading goal scorer for Pakistan in this tournament, having put the ball in the goal twice in two matches. He scored his both goals from smartly-taken penalty corners. He is primarily a fullback and his late runs into the box can be dangerous for the Indians. He has to 100% fit in order for Pakistani to get through this match with a win.
Recent head-to-head record
Pakistan holds the edge over India if we consider their encounters after Jan 2014. They have met 3 times since last year and Pakistan won two of them with India getting the better of them in the Asian Games final at Incheon.
Pakistan beat India 2-1 in the league stage of the Asian Games before India took its revenge by defeating Pakistan 4-2 in the Asian Games final in the penalty shootout, where Sreejesh starred, after normal time ended 1-1. Pakistan got the better of India in the 2014 semi-final of the Champions Trophy in a thrilling encounter which ended 4-3 in favour of the men in green. The match would, however, be remembered for the notoriety by the Pakistani players at the end of the match.
Form Guide
India: W-W-W-W-L
Pakistan: L-W-W-W-L
Prediction
I am going for: India 3-1 Pakistan
The match will be telecast live on Star Sports at 19:30 IST.