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| May 31, 2003 | Saturday | Rabi-ul-Awwal 28, 1424 |
Another India-Pakistan thriller in offing
PERTH, May 30: The stage is set for another interesting duel between arch-rivals India and Pakistan who clash here Saturday for a place in the final of tri-nation challenge hockey tournament.
India hold a slight advantage, having won one of their two previous league matches, and need only a draw Saturday to qualify for the final.
On the other hand, Pakistan, who suffered a shock 5-3 defeat against Australia ‘A’ Thursday, have lost both their league matches so far and must win by a comprehensive margin on Saturday in order to make it to the final. A draw will ensure India meeting Australia in the final.
Australia have already secured a final berth having defeated both India and Pakistan and are yet to concede a goal in the tournament, a fact that underlines their awesome form.
Knowing well the hype and hopes of an expectant nation every time they take the field against Pakistan, India will be keen for an Asian Games encore when they beat their rivals by a 4-3 margin in semifinals.
The two sides played each other four times last year with India winning three of them. Pakistan’s only victory came in the playoff for 3-4 place in the Champions Trophy.
Indian team may draw some heart from the recent record but they know everything else will cease to matter and boil down to their performance in the field Saturday.
India coach Rajinder Singh was not exactly a relaxed man because the team’s form has been mixed here. They did well to blank Australia ‘A’ whose strength can be gauged from the fact they tamed Pakistan.
The four-team competition is an important lead-up event to August’s Champions’ Trophy in the Netherlands and next year’s Olympics in Athens.—PPI
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