India vs Pakistan hockey (Agency Image)
Kolkata: It will be an exciting year for the fans waiting to see India take on Pakistan on the hockey field as the two teams were clubbed together in Group D of the men’s World Cup to be held in the Netherlands and Belgium in August after the official draw ceremony was held at Wagener Stadium in Amsterdam on Wednesday.The two teams are already scheduled to face off against each other twice earlier in the year when they play a double header in the Pro League to be held in England in June. The last time they played each other it was during the Asian Champions Trophy in Moqi, China, in 2024 and India had grabbed a 2-1 win.Speaking on the Pakistan match, India captain Harmanpreet Singh told TOI, “The match against Pakistan is always a highly anticipated one and carries a different kind of energy.
It’s a fixture that fans look forward to and as players, you feel that intensity as well.”“Having said that, we will approach it like any other important game in the tournament — staying calm, sticking to our strategy, and ensuring we play our best hockey on the day. Our focus will be on getting the result and continuing our progress in the competition,” the Indian skipper further added.Besides the two, the group also consists of England and Wales and they will play all their group matches in Amsterdam.
India were clubbed with England in the last World Cup, too, in 2023 and they played out a goalless draw in front of a capacity crowd at Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela.Meanwhile, the Indian women’s team, which qualified for the quadrennial event after finishing second in the World Cup qualifiers held in Hyderabad last week, has been clubbed with England, China and South Africa in Group D and they, too, will play all their group matches in the Netherlands.The last time India women played in the World Cup, they were knocked out in the crossovers after Spain beat them 1-0. However, this time — under new coach Sjoerd Marijne — the team will hope to do better and make a mark after some difficult times over the past few months.Meanwhile, the draw was done by international hockey legends Naomi van As, Barbara Neelen and Teun de Nooijer, as well as DJ La Fuente, who was announced as Dutch Ambassador for the World Cup during the ceremony. World Cup draw:Men: Pool A: Netherlands, Argentina, New Zealand, Japan (playing in the Netherlands); Pool B: Belgium, Germany, France, Malaysia (playing in Belgium); Pool C: Australia, Spain, Ireland, South Africa (playing in Belgium); Pool D: England, India, Pakistan, Wales (playing in the Netherlands)Women: Pool A: Netherlands, Australia, Chile, Japan (playing in the Netherlands); Pool B: Argentina, Germany, USA, Scotland (playing in Belgium); Pool C: Belgium, Spain, New Zealand, Ireland (playing in Belgium); Pool D: China, England, India, South Africa (playing in the Netherlands)
