History of India vs Pakistan in Hockey
India and Pakistan are two nations with the fiercest rivalry in every sphere of life. And Sports is no exception. In fact, it won’t be a stretch to say that the Indo-Pak rivalry is the biggest international rivalry in the world of sports. And Hockey is certainly no exception. In fact, both teams rank pretty highly in terms of the Greatest Hockey playing Nations of all time. Both countries have a rich history in the world of hockey and have dominated the international stage for many years and decades.
During the first half of the 20th Century, the Indian hockey team absolutely dominated the world stage and even managed to win 6 consecutive Olympic Golds from 1928 to 1956. Now they have a total of 8 Olympic Gold Medals to their name. On the Other hand, Pakistan were quite dominant during the latter half of the century, clinching 4 Hockey World Cups (Most in History) while also winning 3 Gold Medals.
Not only their trophies and achievements, but both subcontinental nations have given the world of hockey innumerable Legends. Major Dhyan Chand, Balbir Singh Sr, Dhanraj Pillay, and PR Sreejesh, are some notable Indian legends, while Hassan Sardar, Shahbaz Ahmed and Sohail Abbas are some Pakistani heroes of Hockey.
In the Head-to-Head matchups in this Rivalry’s history, Pakistan have a slender lead over India.
Pakistan vs India head-to-head in hockey:
- Matches: 180
- Pakistan wins: 82
- India wins: 66
- Draw: 32
This might make one believe that India are inferior to Pakistan. But that’s actually not so true in the current day scenario. Actually its the opposite.
No longer a fair rivalry between India and Pakistan
But, with time, all good things come to an end. And so has this intriguing India vs Pakistan rivalry in hockey on the International stage. Why? Well simply because of the fact that it no longer feels like a rivalry. More than often it’s just a thrashing.
While both teams saw a sluggish period at the start of the 21st Century, India has finally recovered from it while Pakistan hasn’t yet found its footing. In more recent times, this difference can be seen even more glaringly. India has won back-to-back Bronze Medals in the Olympic Games, meanwhile, Pakistan have failed to qualify consistently in the last three Olympic Games, in 2016, 2020 and 2024.
The difference in quality can be clearly seen in the FIH rankings leaderboard where India ranks at number 5 while Pakistan finds itself on the 16th rank. In their last 4 meetings, Pakistan have only managed a solitary draw while losing all other matches. The scorelines of these fixtures read:
- 10-2 to India: Hangzhou Asian Games 2023
- 4-0 to India: Asian Hockey Champions Trophy 2023
- 1-1 Draw: Asia Cup 2022
- 4-3 to India: Asian Hockey Champions Trophy 2021
Pakistan will be hammered yet again on Saturday
India will play Pakistan on Saturday in the Asian Hockey Champions Trophy, 2024. The Indian contingent has already secured a Semi-Final spot and sits top of their group with 3/3 wins. They beat China 3-0, Japan 5-1, and then thrashed Malaysia 8-1 before getting the better of Korea with a scoreline of 3-1. On the other hand, second-placed Pakistan have got better as they have progressed in the tournament. They drew their first 2 games against Malaysia and Korea with a similar scoreline of 2-2 and then went on to beat Japan and China in their next two matches.
Now going up against each other, it’s almost certain as to who is going to win. The real question is, how big of a margin will India defeat Pakistan by. In their last meeting it was a 8 goal margin. Can India score 10 past Pakistan yet again? What are your views on this upcoming fixture? Do you think this Indo-Pak rivalry is the biggest rivalry in the world of sports? Let us know in the comments below.
