PTI
London
A thrilling win against Olympic champions Netherlands boosting its confidence, the Indian men’s hockey team would look to carry forward the momentum when it takes on arch-rivals Pakistan in the opening match of the London leg of the FIH Pro League here on Tuesday.
It will also be the first time that India and Pakistan will lock horns against each other since the Asian Champions Trophy clash in Hulunbuir, China, in 2024 which India won 2-1, thanks to captain Harmanpreet Singh’s brace.
The head-to-head record between the two sides over the last 10 years is hugely in favour of India, who remain undefeated across 17 matches, with 15 wins and two draws.
The Indians won two matches out of four in Rotterdam. They beat hosts and world no.2 the Netherlands 3-2 on Sunday in the concluding match of the Rotterdam leg. India’s other victory (3-1) came against reigning world champions and world no.5 Germany.
In the other two matches, India lost 2-3 against the Netherlands and 1-2 against Germany, all close results.
The Dutch leg turned out to be a valuable experience for the Indians, who are using this tournament to fine tune their grey areas ahead of this year’s two big ticket events the FIH World Cup and the Asian Games, which is also an Olympic qualifier.
