NEW DELHI: India's Hockey World Cup campaign has reached a critical juncture, with arch-rivals Pakistan standing between Harmanpreet Singh's side and a place in the second round. Following India's 2-4 defeat to England, former captain PR Sreejesh believes the India-Pakistan rivalry no longer carries the same competitive edge it once did, with India's improvements in fitness, strength and decision-making changing the equation. India had led England 2-1 at half-time in their second Pool D match on Monday, with Harmanpreet and Dilpreet Singh finding the net. England, however, produced a strong second-half comeback to score three goals, leaving India needing a positive result against Pakistan on Wednesday. A win will guarantee India's place in the second round, while a defeat will end their campaign.
India began their campaign with a 3-1 win over Wales but now have three points from two games. England lead Pool D with six points, while Pakistan and Wales have one each. Sreejesh feels India's evolution in fitness, strength and game awareness has altered the nature of their rivalry with Pakistan. "Conceding goals in the last quarter or final minutes used to be a problem for us, but that is no longer the case. Now, we are the ones scoring late to win matches. Earlier, during the 35-minute halves, we used to make mistakes due to fitness or poor decision-making and let in goals. But since the four-quarter system came in, and even before that, we made big improvements in our fitness, strength, game awareness, and decision-making and because of that, matches against Pakistan are not as tough as they used to be," he said to JioStar. "In the past, India vs Pakistan games were tight, often ending 1-0 or 2-1. Pakistan still have potential, but their current team's level is not the same as before."
Sreejesh also highlighted India's defensive structure and called for greater aggression in their approach. He believes the team should avoid dropping too deep and instead press higher up the pitch when circumstances allow. "The Indian men's hockey team has been playing a new formation for the past year and a half. That formation mostly forces us into defense, but in the recent Pro League, we pushed up and pressed hard in many matches. One important thing is that we need to stay compact in defense when playing against European teams. Otherwise, we should play our natural game in the World Cup. In defense, we used zonal marking, so we need to improve our understanding in that area. We should not drop too deep. We need to step out, press high, and defend even beyond the center line."
Sreejesh also backed Harmanpreet's leadership, stressing that a hockey captain's influence often extends beyond what happens during a match. "Harmanpreet Singh is a very good captain. On the pitch, a captain's influence is limited because you cannot control every move or player. The person with the ball has to make the decision. Most of a captain's work happens off the pitch, keeping the team united, supporting younger players, helping them settle in, creating a positive team environment, taking players' concerns to the coach, clearing doubts, and making sure everyone understands the coach's instructions. So, for a hockey captain, the work off the field is much more important than what you do on the field." India's equation is straightforward. A victory over Pakistan will take them to six points and guarantee qualification. A draw will take India to four points, but they will need England to beat or draw with Wales. A Pakistan victory, meanwhile, would end India's World Cup campaign.
