Both the teams are unbeaten in the tournament so far, but that won’t be the correct reflection on their respective form.Defending champions India have won all their four matches, while Pakistan have won two and drawn two to stand behind the India team at No. 2 on the points table.As a result of that, both have already secured a place in the semifinals, while the remaining two spots will be contested between South Korea, Malaysia and hosts China. Japan have been eliminated from the race to the semis.
While India and Pakistan contests until the 2014 Asian Games final were mostly fought on a knife’s edge, the wins column is heavily loaded in favour of India since then.
That point reflects in the fact that Pakistan’s last win against India came in 2016 and in the last 16 matches between the two teams, India have won 14 times, while the other two were draws.
During the Asian Games in Hangzhou last year, which was the last meeting between the two teams, India secured a resounding 10-2 victory in their pool match.
Overall, however, the head-to-head stats are still in favour of Pakistan, but those numbers don’t draw the right picture for the hockey fans, as the sport has plunged to a new low in Pakistan, while India have reclaimed their lost spot on the Olympic podium with two consecutive bronze medals in the last two edition of the Games in Paris and Tokyo.
HEAD TO HEAD RECORD
Played: 180
India won: 66
Pakistan won: 82
Drawn: 32
India’s dominance in the ACT is unparalleled, with four titles to their name. They emerged victorious in the final against Malaysia last year in Chennai.
Pakistan, with three ACT titles, stand as the second most successful team in the tournament’s history.