Why India-Pakistan hockey match is more thrilling than when the two play cricket

There was a time in the 1990s when the cricket boards of both India and Pakistan made a killing out of the rivalry between the two countries till it reached a saturation point and started lacking in intensity. Now when the two teams meet on the cricket field, the event managers spend huge sums to see to it that the past is cashed in on and hype is created before the first ball is bowled.

The tone of an India-Pakistan cricket match has kept changing with the bilateral ties between the two neighbours as politicians have often used the most popular sport to drive home their message. Though the undertone of a rivalry still exists, the passion certainly is not to the degree it once had been.

But an India-Pakistan hockey encounter has not been coloured in any political hue. One can still find that intensity and passion among the players when the two teams take to the turf. Agreed, they are no longer the powerhouses of the sport they once used to be. The Europeans and Australians have out-thought and outsmarted them in the finer points of hockey and mixed it up with their scientific approach which has completely changed the sport. Now India and Pakistan are playing catch up. But make no mistake, the two Asian nations still display the fast-paced free-flowing hockey that makes it a spectacle for fans. Add to it the passion and spark that flows on the field, and it can safely be said that the India-Pakistan hockey clash still has the purity of old.

In the last couple of years, the two teams have clashed often and every time the match has been worth a watch for hockey lovers. So when the two teams met in Antwerp, in Belgium, the match shaped up brilliantly. Last December, the Pakistani team had rubbed Indian fans the wrong way during the Champions Trophy in Bhubaneshwar when they made rude gestures after beating the hosts. India had earlier beaten Pakistan to win the Asian Games gold and with it an Olympic berth. It made for an interesting backdrop for the Hockey World League match in Antwerp and it lived up to the hype ending in a 2-2 stalemate.

Both India and Pakistan have been trying to learn the European way of hockey, but seem to unshackle themselves when they face each other. The skill and flair the two Asian teams have taught the world of hockey flows in abundance. There are moments of pure magic. Hopefully, the two hockey federations would be able to put together a bilateral series which would be a treat for hockey fans.