India vs Pakistan: 'We should play a lot more against each other'

More matches between arch-rivals India and Pakistan will only benefit both sides as well as continent's hockey, home team captain Harmanpreet Singh said on Tuesday ahead of their high-voltage clash in the Asian Champions Trophy in Chennai.

Unbeaten India are already through to the semifinals after three wins and one draw while Pakistan's last-four hopes depend on the result of this vital clash against India on Wednesday.

A win for Pakistan will guarantee them a spot in the semifinals, but a defeat would leave their fate on the result of the match between China and Japan, also on Wednesday.

"Matches are important for any team. If we play more matches together, it will surely help us and Asian hockey as a whole. But, it all depends on the situation, and I feel we should play a lot more against each other," Harmanpreet said during the press conference ahead of the match.

Asked why the rivalry between the two sides has become less intense as compared to earlier times, Harmanpreet said, "It (the rivalry) has become a lot more different now. Both were very good teams back then. But it's not that we are winning easily against them (now).

"They have the same mentality, playing styles are same and they also play attacking hockey."

Indian play international matches regularly and is currently ranked fourth in the world. Pakistan, on the other hand, do not play too many matches these days and they have slipped to 16th in the world. They even failed to qualify in two consecutive Olympics (2016 and 2021) and 2023 World Cup.

"We (India) are playing more matches, which is helping us a lot. They (Pakistan) giving chances to youngsters is a good step," Harmanpreet said.

India have been inconsistent in terms of scoring regularly from penalty corners. However, the captain feels that there is no need to tinker with their direct-shot approach, saying it would be effective during the upcoming Asian Games.

"As far as the PC is concerned, we are not doing much variation to it and mostly going for a direct shot. I think we can use it during the Asian Games.

"It's important for the drag-flicker to analyse the defenders rushing in. So, it's good learning for us ahead of a major competition," said Harmanpreet, one of the best drag-flickers in the world.

He noted that India has been playing some of its games using the half-court tactic, which seems to be working well. Elaborating on the same, Harmanpreet said that a lot of work was done on the same during the pre-event camp.

"We worked a lot on this (half-court) and we got quite a good result from it. We wait to counter-attack since we are well-known for it. So, I am glad that we are doing well in it, and we are continuously working on how we get better at it.

"There is always room for improvement. We struggled in the opening two games as we couldn't finish them properly. But we have been clicking in the last couple of matches. We need to convert our chances quickly, besides maintaining the pressure on the opponent and not give away easy chances," he said.

Pakistan will be tough as they are desperate for a semifinal spot: Fulton 

India head coach Craig Fulton acknowledged the importance of the tie and feels that Pakistan will be a tough opposition as they are desperate to qualify for the semifinals.

"They are in a very strong fighting position because they need to get results, and they need goals as well. So, we have to match that," he said.

Asked which one will be preferred out of goals from PCs or from the field, Fulton emphasised that balancing the attack would be vital.

"We would like to balance it (our attack) out. Ideally, we want to have control in all four quarters. We aim to score early and then try to take it from there. It doesn't always work like that, but that's the objective. I don't mind if they (goals) come through the field or PCs," he said.

"It's just about managing the key players. I think we are good on the ball, and so are they. So, it would be the balance of who can defend the best."

Fulton is looking forward to an improved show from the 3-2 win over Korea in India's last match on Monday.

"An improved performance from yesterday (Monday) will be the priority. We are fully focused on the preparation that we need to do to play Pakistan. Obviously, everything to do with the history of the match that makes it enjoyable and exciting for the crowd and the players."

Fulton refused to single out any team which has impressed him in the tournament so far.

"They (rest of teams) are slightly different, they all offered something different. But, all have different penalty corners and defence. A lot of them lacked counter-attacks and had individual skills. So, they are all a threat."

On the half-court as well as the one-on-one tactics, Fulton said, "It's more about setting yourself up to counter-attack, where you are trying to draw the opposition out a little bit. It's a different way of doing it, as certain teams are doing with back-four or back-five. It all depends. It's not necessarily that it suits all.

"Half-court also gives you a lot more time to compact your team and to stop, and attack from there if you win the ball because you can high-press the whole game and sometimes team works it out. So, it's always nice to have another layer behind what you do. It's to have more than one way to win the ball," he stated.

"The one-on-one is always something you got to do, especially in a zone or a man-to-man situation. And, with age and style, it becomes natural for the teams. Yes, we need to improve on that. But, we like do to a collective attack because that's harder compared to a one-on-one attack."

It's little over three months Fulton has been at the helm of the Indian team and he said maintaining consistency with his process would be his aim.