India vs Pakistan in Chennai, but it can’t beat the ‘Jailer’ | Hockey News

CHENNAI: In Rajinikanth land, the event calendars need meticulous planning. If it is anywhere close to the dates of the release of films starring Rajini anna, possibilities are that the event will get bulldozed – even if it is the iconic India vs Pakistan clash in sports.

The Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium wears the look of a bride, but the garlands are reserved for the giant Rajinikanth cut-outs to welcome the release of Thala’s new film ‘Jailer’, hitting theaters on Thursday.

A day before that, on Wednesday, the India-Pakistan hockey rivalry will be renewed. Not that there won’t be any takers for the league-stage match; in fact, the near 9000-capacity MRH Stadium might get filled up. But most Chennai roads and online search trends lead to the hunt for ‘Jailer’ tickets.

The Chief Minister and other state politicians will definitely draw media crews to the MRH Stadium, but as far as fever around an India-Pakistan game is concerned, the traditional rivalry on the hockey pitch doesn’t grip fans’ imagination like before.
Thinking on those lines, the last India-Pakistan game that resembled a virtual combat was during the 2014 Champions Trophy in Bhubaneswar. The heavy-duty game ended in Pakistan’s favour but what made more news was the lewd gestures made by Pakistan players towards the gallery and media.
Since that day, while the hockey relations between the two countries have soured further, Pakistan have failed to arrest their downfall, missing Olympics, World Cups and falling to as low as No. 16 in the current world rankings — all this largely attributed to poor administration, lack of planning and insufficient government support and funds.

Additionally, India’s only defeat against Pakistan between the Champions Trophy match in 2014 to now was in the 2016 SAF Games final.
As a result of India’s rise and Pakistan’s decline, India have managed to bridge some of the gap in head-to-head between the two teams.
In 178 matches now, according to the statistics available, India’s wins have increased in the last decade and risen to 64. However, Pakistan remain ahead at 82, while 32 games ended in draws.

Including their Asian Games 2018 face-off, there have been five matches played between the two neighbours in the last five years, with India winning four and one ending in a draw.
The narrative of Wednesday’s game rests in Pakistan youngsters having nothing to lose, which was reiterated by former striker and assistant coach, Rehan Butt.
“These boys have nothing to lose in the match against India, they will only learn from it. And if they play according to their potential, they can make things difficult for the Indian team,” Rehan told Timesofindia.

But he also added a word of caution for India.
“Till now, with the little amount of experience these boys have, the team has played excellently. Many are saying that after a long time Pakistan’s attacking hockey is on show,” said Rehan.
“These boys have nothing to lose in the match against India, they will only learn from it. And if they play according to their potential, they can make things difficult for the Indian team,” he added.
A cliche, but true, an India vs Pakistan game can make or break careers. But in the current scenarios, where stakes are heavily loaded in favour of the Indian team, it holds more true for the young and inexperienced Pakistan team, without ignoring the fact that an upset defeat will seriously question India’s Asian Games ambitions.

“If you do well in these matches, your career is set,” said Pakistan’s chief coach Muhammad Saqlain, who began his senior international career with the match against India.
An unexpected win for the Pakistanis will take them through to the semis. With that at stake, it can ignite the young Pakistan stars like Hanan Shahid, Abdul Rehman and the experienced skipper Umar Bhutta. A defeat, however, might bring the curtains down for them. The good part for the visitors is that India vs Pakistan is the last match of the league phase and they will know what they need to do to get through to the knockouts.
And India’s new chief coach Craig Fulton sounded prepared for that possibility, which can bring a fired-up Pakistan team to the pitch.
“The history of this game and also where we are in the tournament, it’s really, really important that we put in a good performance, take in that confidence, defensively have a structure, play that structure and then be consistent in all four quarters,” Fulton told Timesofindia.com.
In contrast, Rehan’s message to the Pakistan boys is to “play with a free mind”. But it might not be as simple as it sounds, because it can’t be denied that the only way Pakistan can climb this mountain is by doing a Rajinikanth in Rajini land.