Hockey, Asian Champions Trophy: India, Pakistan roll back the years with a fun, chaotic contest

To a casual hockey watcher, Saturday’s Asian Champions Trophy group-stage finale between India and Pakistan would have seemed like a battle of equals.

And therein lies the story. For Pakistan, in an abysmal state of despair after missing the last three Olympics, the 1-2 loss would feel like a moral victory. For India, flying high after a bronze at the last two Games, a slight indictment before the tournament’s business end.

“We are not happy,” was midfielder Nilakanta Sharma’s assessment of India’s below-par performance during the post-match interview.

Goal number 2️⃣ for India as @13harmanpreet scores again 💪 🔥#SonySportsNetwork #INDvsPAK #ACT2024 #HockeyIndia | @TheHockeyIndia @asia_hockey @FIH_Hockey pic.twitter.com/7Zr2HoJi8g

— Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) September 14, 2024

His teammates were baited by Pakistan, who drew them into individual battles and dragged them to their level, knowing it was the only way to take home a point, if not all three. The Indians fell for it. Craig Fulton would not have liked how his team lost control but, unwittingly, it meant India and Pakistan rolled back the years.

All game plans were shunned. There were breathtaking forward runs with the players convinced they possessed superpowers to dribble past the entire opposition. The defences were porous, making the match more fun. There was a generous sprinkling of drama – rash tackles, heated exchanges and both teams ending with one player less.

Basketball match

For large parts, it resembled a basketball match where both teams took turns to have a go at one another’s goal. In these times when structure is the buzzword, this shapeless hockey provided unbridled joy.

It’s what allowed Pakistan, against most expectations, to surprise India and take the lead.

Nineteen-year-old Hanan Shahid, declared the rising star of the Asian Champions Trophy in Chennai last year, picked the ball up at half line. Instinctively, the youngster whose dodging skills are spoken of highly in Pakistan hockey circles embarked on a mesmerising run that would have made a few old-timers nostalgic.

He relied on his pace and supple wrists to beat the first Indian man, balanced the ball on the face of his stick and dribbled the airborne ball to go past the second, and left the third defender flat-footed to enter India’s ‘D’. He released the ball in time for Nadeem Ahmad, who got the final touch from a close range to put Pakistan 1-0 up in the 8th minute.

Mr. Reliable @13harmanpreet 🌟

The Indian captain scores a thunderous penalty corner to level the score at 𝟏-𝟏 🚀#SonySportsNetwork #INDvsPAK #ACT2024 #HockeyIndia | @TheHockeyIndia @asia_hockey @FIH_Hockey pic.twitter.com/N18dUGxQCF

— Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) September 14, 2024

That Pakistan hockey is on life-support isn’t the story anymore. It’s players like Shahid who play with zero burden and possess all the skills a modern hockey player does, that keep the hopes alive of a revival.

But Pakistan’s plan to get India to play their way was fraught with risks as it relied on two things – that they would sustain the same energy levels for a full 60 minutes and that India would not regroup and raise their levels.

Both these factors played a role in the eventual outcome.

Harmanpreet, the difference

India will still take heart from the fact that they could summon their best game on demand. Immediately after Pakistan opened the scoring, India – who hadn’t enjoyed a stable spell of possession yet – took control of the ball and passed it with more authority.

By playing like this, India had steamrolled every opposition in the continental championship so far. It took a goal from the Green Shirts to remind them of that.

After five minutes of patiently holding the possession, India clawed back into the match by winning a penalty corner that was flicked into the goal by captain Harmanpreet Singh in the 13th minute. Six minutes later, Harmanpreet scored again from an identical drag-flick – keeping the ball between the knee and waist high to the goalkeeper’s left – to give India the lead.

India skipper Harmanpreet Singh in action against Pakistan. (Credit: Hockey India)

The difference between India and Pakistan came to the fore during this brief period. India could switch between gears seamlessly, not panic after conceding early and smartly plotting their way back into the game – that’s how they also beat Spain in the bronze medal playoff in Paris. Pakistan, despite giving all they had, could not find that extra gear.

Still, they did enough to keep India on their toes and refused to go out without a fight. And if not for Krishan Pathak’s spree of outstanding saves – truly announcing himself as India’s Number 1 goalkeeper in the post-Sreejesh era – the outcome could have been vastly different.

Fulton would not be pleased that his team never looked in complete control against a side that is ranked outside the top 15 of the world and hasn’t qualified for the last three Olympics.

But even on their bad day, India won to end the group stage commitments of the Asian Champions Trophy as the only team with a 100 percent winning record.

It also means India extended their unbeaten run against Pakistan to 17 over 8 years. The last time Pakistan defeated India, as per the International Hockey Federation records, was in February 2016 in the South Asian Games.

On Saturday, this one-sided dominance didn’t reflect on the field. For a casual observer, Pakistan and India would have felt like equals. And before Monday’s semifinals, this would be a much-needed wake-up call for Fulton’s India.

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