Arch-rivals India and Pakistan draw in the same group

After India and Pakistan played out a series of mouthwatering cricket matches in the recent past itrsquos time for the archrivals to clash on the hockey field The neighbours have been drawn into the same pool D alongside England and Wales for the quadrennial competition to be played in Belgium and the Netherlands from August 14 to 30This will mark the first time India and Pakistan face each other at a Hockey World Cup since the 2010 edition in New Delhi where India won 41 at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium Pakistan did not qualify for the 2014 edition In 2018 at Bhubaneswar the two teams were placed in separate groups and Pakistan failed to reach the knockout stage Pakistan then failed to qualify for the 2023 edition in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela1971 World Cup India players celebrate teammate Rajwinder Singhrsquos left opening goal against Pakistan in the semifinals at Amstelveen Netherlands India went on to lose the match 12Legendary rivalryIndia and Pakistanrsquos hockey rivalry is legendary but none more intense than in 1971 and 1973 In 1971 Pakistan launched the inaugural World Cup edition only for it to be moved to Barcelona Spain October 1524 due to growing IndoPak political tension In 1973 players from both sides were on edge as this was their first World Cup meeting after the 1971 warHockey wizard Dhyan Chandrsquos son Ashok Kumar was part of the 1971 1973 and 1975 World Cup teams and insists you could cut the tension between both camps with a knife1973 World Cup Indiarsquos BP Govinda left partly hidden beats Pakistan goalkeeper Pervez Munir right to score the winning goal in the semifinals at Barcelona SpainldquoThe political situation between both countries was terrible then and due to some statements made by their leaders against India the inaugural World Cup was moved from Pakistan to Spain It was only obvious that the political heat would spread among players toordquo Ashok Kumar tells midday over the phone from Udaipur where hersquos currently training a bunch of kids as part of a Rajasthan government hockey initiativeldquoIn 1971 we lost to Pakistan 12 in the semis To be honest there was an uneasy calm in the air between the players from either side Given the ongoing tensions back home it was like seeing your enemy in front of you We wanted to beat them at all costs and when we lost team manager Balbir Singh Sr cried bitterly He kept saying that he didnrsquot know how he would face people back home after losing to Pakistan We returned home from Spain in late October and soon the IndoPak war broke out December 316 This made us feel even more horrible because we had lost to the enemy on the hockey pitchrdquo says Ashok Kumar 761975 World Cup India captain Ajit Pal Singh receives the World Cup trophy from Malaysian Premier Tun Abdul Razak in Kuala Lumpur Pics courtesy Sportsweek1973 was even more tenseTwo years later the tensions only increased ldquoWe clashed again in the World Cup semifinal in the Netherlands There were some harsh tackles during the match and both Indian and Pakistani players were hurling abuses at each other because the 1971 war was still fresh in our minds We beat Pakistan 10 in one of the most intense matches ever and then celebrated the win with equal intensityrdquo adds Ashok KumarOf course the 1975 edition in Malaysia was historic India beat Pakistan 21 in the final thanks to Ashok Kumarrsquos matchwinner and clinched its first and only World Cup till dateAsian All Stars in 1974ldquoIn 1974 the Indian team travelled to Pakistan without visas to participate in the Asian All Stars competition where we played matches in Karachi Rawalpindi and Lahore so tensions had eased and things were very friendly at the 1975 World Cup But our fans still had high expectations and I became an overnight hero not just because my goal helped India win the World Cup but because I had scored the winner against Pakistanrdquo says Ashok Kumar Hockey or for that matter any sport does not need unnecessary aggression and Ashok Kumar is glad that things have sobered down ldquoCurrently India are a far superior team than Pakistan so I donrsquot see Harmanpreet Singh amp Co having any problems in beating them at this World Cup Itrsquos a lot easier to play when yoursquore not carrying the burden of a warrdquo Ashok Kumar signs offOneNo of hockey World Cups India has won16No of years since India last played Pak in a World Cup12Score by which India lost to Pak in 1971 World Cup semis10Score by which India beat Pak in 1973 World Cup21Score by which India beat Pak in 1975 World Cup final2026 FIH World Cup poolsPool ANetherlands Argentina NZ JapanPool BBelgium Germany France MalaysiaPool CAustralia Spain Ireland South AfricaPool DEngland India Pakistan Wales