INCHEON: India’s winning captain Sardar Singh has called for resumption of Pakistan and India hockey ties for the promotion and development of the game in the sub-continent.

“We haven’t played much hockey since 2006 and should play each other on a regular basis as it is enjoyed by people on both sides of the border,” Sardar told reporters on Thursday at a news conference after India beat Pakistan on penalty shootout to regain the title after 16 years at Seonhak Hockey Stadium.

He said he had always enjoyed playing against Pakistan as it brought the best out of both teams. “Like always, it a was a thrilling finale in Asian Games against Pakistan. We learnt from our defeat in the league game and regrouped to win the gold,” said Sardar.

He said hockey is very popular in both the countries and more Indo-Pak matches could help in uplift and development of sport in the region.

Responding to a question regarding any Pakistani player impressing him during the event, he said Shakeel Abbasi and Haseem Khan are fine players.

“Shakeel was staging a comeback after some time but he still played superbly,” he said.

Published in Dawn, October 4th, 2014