On Monday, the Indian men’s hockey team drew with arch-rival Pakistan in the Asia Cup’s inaugural match for both sides.
In the first quarter of the match, Karthik Selvam, making his debut, placed India ahead. The 20-year-old scored from a penalty corner to put the Men in Blue forward.
However, Pakistan’s Abdul Rana wiped out the advantage with a stunning goal with less than a minute remaining on the clock.
Selvam didn’t quite nail his drag-flick, but he did get himself into a tangle when the ball rebounded off defender Muhammad Abdullah’s stick. India took the lead with barely six minutes remaining in the first quarter.
Umar Bhatti, Pakistan’s captain, attempted to equalise but could not overcome the Indian defence. The Men in Green made significant inroads in the Indian half but could not score.
Both India and Pakistan kept each other in check in the second and third quarters, failing to score a goal.
India kept Pakistan on the back foot in the fourth and final quarters, but Bhatti’s troops didn’t give up and drew the match in the dying minutes.
Abdul Rana turned out to be Pakistan’s rescuer. Rana converted a penalty corner to deny India victory with three minutes remaining.
Hockey Arch Rivals
The Asia Cup has been won three times by both India and Pakistan.
India hopes to defend the title it earned in the last edition of the tournament in 2017.
On Tuesday, May 24th, India will face Japan in their next match. Pakistan’s subsequent encounter is on May 24th against Indonesia.
This year’s Asia Cup is hosted by Indonesia, with the final scheduled for June 1st. The top three teams will also be eligible for the 2019 World Cup of Hockey.
Although India has already qualified to host the 2024 World Cup, which will be hosted in the eastern state of Orissa (also known as Odisha), Pakistan will be hoping to qualify through this competition.
Both sides are counting on a group of promising young players and some seasoned veterans to carry them to victory.
“Because we need to start rebuilding the team, we have a lot of young players. They can only get experience if they are allowed to play, “Last week, Pakistan’s new coach, Siegfried Aikman, stated.
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