India Captain SWATS Pakistan Threat at Hockey World Cup: 'Any Other Game'

India vs Pakistan: The arch-rivals are clubbed together in Group D at the upcoming Hockey World Cup. England and Wales are also part of Group D. The much-awaited FIH Men's Hockey World Cup would be co-hosted by Netherlands and Belgium. All the matches of this group will be played in the Netherlands. The mega event is scheduled to take place from August 15 to 30. On Tuesday, the draw ceremony took place at the Wagener Stadium in Amsterdam. 

For the unversed, India and Pakistan have faced each other five times at the Hockey WC. India has won three, while Pakistan have won two. 

The detailed schedule is expected to be released soon. Ahead of the big-ticket game, India captain Harmanpreet Singh downplayed the Pakistan threat and said that they would treat it like any other game. He also said that the main focus would be to win the title. 

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‘Approach it like any other important game’

“The match against Pakistan is always a highly anticipated one and carries a different kind of energy.

“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.

Men's Hockey World Cup groups

Pool A - Netherlands, Argentina, New Zealand, Japan (matches will be played in the Netherlands)

Pool B - Belgium, Germany, France, Malaysia (matches will be played in Belgium)

Pool C - Australia, Spain, Ireland, South Africa (matches will be played in Belgium)

Pool D - England, India, Pakistan, Wales (matches will be played in the Netherlands)

From Group D, India are certainly one of the favourites to qualify for the knockouts.