Stakes are high, Pak have the edge

Once again, it’s a high-profile, high-stakes encounter when India and Pakistan play each other at the Asia Cup in Kuala Lumpur tomorrow...

Once again, it’s a high-profile, high-stakes encounter when India and Pakistan play each other at the Asia Cup in Kuala Lumpur tomorrow. Both have the same number of points and share the same goal-ratio (15-1) so the winner tomorrow will top the group and face an easier opponent in the next match.

That match will be against the runners-up in the other group, most likely Japan. South Korea, the strongest team in the tournament, currently occupy the second spot but are expected to beat Japan in their last group match to top Group A.

The winners of those two matches — to be played on September 26 — clash two days later for the position of overall champion, who then get a berth in the 2006 World Cup.

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Indian coach Rajinder Singh, under fire for his ban on the media and controversial remarks against his players, needs a win tomorrow to be proved right in his methods. It will be India’s first win against Pakistan in the Asia Cup.

India will be missing their drag-flicker Jugraj Singh. But compared to Pakistan’s Sohail Abbas – rated the best in the world and scorer of nine goals in the Champions Trophy – the Indian flicker had scored just four goals in that tournament, one of them from a penalty stroke.

Incidentally, the much-underestimated Deepak Thakur was the higher scorer for India with six goals in the Champions Trophy.

Pakistan, rebuilding under former captain Tahir Zaman, will be under fire if they lose. Zaman and his more famous brother-in-law, the great Shahbaz Ahmed, actually became the window for Pakistani hockey to European style in the 90s. Now, under Zaman, Pakistan’s raw talent is getting an opportunity to mix their own style with the modern requirements.

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Significantly, it has started showing results: Pakistan’s performance in the Champions Trophy held last month was definitely a few notches higher than India’s, and they finished with a bronze too, pipping India for the second consecutive time.

Pakistan has retained the same squad except for one player – Shakeel Abbasi has come in for the injured Sameer Hussain in the forwardline.

Both teams depend heavily on their forward lines to lead the show for their respective teams but Pakistan have an extra trumpcard in Sohail Abbas.