What’s the story?
Ahead of their FIH Hockey World League Semifinals match against Pakistan, Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli has wished his hockey counterparts all the best. The 28-year old, who himself is gearing up for the Champions Trophy final against Pakistan, also expressed his admiration for the guts shown by the hockey players.
At the pre-match press conference, Kohli enthused, “I have played with the synthetic hockey balls indoors but have never tried hockey. It's very scary I feel. Getting hit on the face from the penalty corner, I don't know how these guys do it. You need a lot of guts to do that. I wish our team all the best, I have never tried my hand in it but they are pretty good so I am sure they'll be fine.”
Tackling the extreme hype surrounding the cricket match, he insisted, “We haven't spoken about this game in any different way. We've practiced the same way from the first day we came here. Even today's practice was absolutely similar. There wasn't any drop of intensity or something extra. There's no over-excitement. People are just doing the normal things that they do in any practice session and that's the kind of approach we have maintained throughout the tournament.”
The background
London will play host to two eagerly awaited sports encounters between India and Pakistan on Sunday. Even as the cricket teams will battle it out for the Champions Trophy at The Oval, the hockey teams lock horns for a pulsating Pool B match at the Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre.
The heart of the matter
India, who are the defending champions, surged to the final on the back of comprehensive victories against the Pakistan, South Africa and Bangladesh. On the other hand, Sarfraz Ahmed’s team managed to bounce back from their 124-run loss at the hands of their arch-rivals and prevailed over South Africa and Sri Lanka before knocking out hosts England from the tournament.
Extra Cover: HWL Semifinal 2017 – Pakistan are just another team, says Manpreet Singh ahead of the much-anticipated clash
The Indian hockey team have begun their campaign in the World League Semifinals on a positive note. They defeated Scotland 4-1 and Canada 3-0 to propel to the top of Pool B (ahead of the game between Netherlands and Scotland). Meanwhile, Pakistan lost to the Dutch by a 0-4 margin before suffering an embarrassing 0-6 hiding at the hands of Canada. The top four teams from the group will qualify for the quarter-final.
What’s next?
Sunday is shaping up to be a blockbuster day for sports fans belonging to India and Pakistan as their cricket as well as hockey teams will take on each other. While the Champions Trophy final is set to begin on 1500 IST, the Hockey World League clash will start on 1830 IST.
Author’s take
Kohli is gracious enough to admit that hockey is a physically more challenging game. His positive message for the Indian hockey team should go a long way in enhancing their frame of mind ahead of what should be a high-pressure match.
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