Pakistan versus India – Day 7 at the 20th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup – Preview
Pakistan is all set to meet their arch-rival, India, during the 7th day of the 20th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup on Wednesday, May 11 at the Sultan Azlan Shah Hockey Stadium in Ipoh, Malaysia.
Pakistan Team
The Pakistan hockey team started the Azlan Shah Tourney impressively; however, they failed to maintain their momentum and received a couple of defeats in the last two games. In the opening two contests, Pakistan edged past New Zealand and South Korea. However,
the third and fourth games were heart-breaking conclusions, as they were defeated by Great Britain and Australia respectively, by 3-2 and 5-1.
It is vital to mention here that Zeeshan Ashraf, the captain who assisted the Greenshirts to clinch the 16th Asian Games title after two decades, is not part of the team. He opted to miss the event in order to step-up youngsters in the international
hockey.
Pakistan, the currently eight ranked team, has an outstanding record in the hockey with winning eight titles in the Asian Games, three gold medals in the Azlan Shah Cup, three gold medals in the Olympic Games, three victories in Asia Cups, three time Champions
Trophy winners and four time World Champions.
Indian Team
In spite of giving an unimpressive start, the Indian team brilliantly revved it up and made a comeback with two victories and a draw. In the opening game, India lost to South Korea by a single goal, 3-2, but roared back to defeat Great Britain by two goals,
3-1.
After an impressive victory, they held Australia with a draw while thrashed Malaysia by three goals in the very next match. Currently holding third place with seven points, India will face Pakistan in the fifth competition of the tournament.
Despite missing a number of key players, India showed mature game thus far. Legendary players of India including Sardara Singh, Sandeep Singh, Tushar Khandekar and Rajpal Singh are not currently part of the squad in the Malaysia-based invitational.
Players to Watch
From the Pakistan side, Rehan Butt, with more than 250 caps will be centre of attention in the expectedly nail-biting competition. On the other side, Sohail Abbas, who is world’s highest goal scorer and best drag flicker is expected to deliver his best.
On the other side, Arjun Halappa, the skipper of the team will be a treat to watch. He has obtained more than 223 caps in the international hockey.
Head-to-Head Statistics
The last three meetings between the arch-rival India and Pakistan were took place last year in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, Commonwealth Games and 2010 Hockey World Cup. In all the three games, India defeated Pakistan respectively 4-2, 4-1 and 7-4. However,
the two sides are expected to display a competitive game in the upcoming fixture.
Prediction
On one side, the Greenshirts are looking to make a comeback into the Azlan Shah Cup, whereas the Indians are looking at their hat-trick win in the invitational. The contest will be a nip and tuck battle. However, India is expected to win the game by two
goals, 4-2.
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