Be it hockey, cricket or any other sport, an Indo-Pak encounter brings out the emotions.
However, Thursday was one of those rare days. Believe it or not, there was not even a single foul committed in the group stage clash. For the record, Pakistan eventually won 2-1. That said, the umpires and organisers must have heaved a sigh of relief as players went about shaking hands after the hooter went off.
Former Pakistan skipper Tahir Zaman praised both teams for playing a clean game of hockey. "Both side players are emotional when it comes to playing against each other," said Zaman, who was part of the 1994 World Cup-winning side. "This victory is very important for our side because Pakistan hockey is struggling to get international games. This victory will certainly raise the confidence level of our players and help them overcome this bad phase," he added.
Pakistani women cricketers were seen sitting alongside a group of Indian players from different disciplines to witness this special game. Such was the camaraderie even while shouting slogans that neither group crossed the 'border' of decency.
As Muhammad Bhutta put Pakistan ahead in the third quarter in the Pool 'B' encounter, there was big celebrations by a sizeable group of Pakistani expatriates. Clearly, they outnumbered the Indians.
And when Nikkin Thimmaiah drew level a few seconds later, things got interesting. It didn't, however, stop the Pakistani supporters from distributing biryani in the stands.
Muhammad Waqas scored the winner six minutes from time and the defending Asian Games champions booked a place in the semifinal. Waqas took advantage of a defensive lapse to hit the winner. Pakistan will now take on Oman in their last league game on Saturday. On the contrary, India will meet China. Nothing but victory will do.
India coach Terry Walsh described the loss as "terribly frustrating". "But the good thing is that it was just a three-point match, not a semifinal or the final," the Australian said. So does he still think his boys can win the gold medal? "We played our worst game and Pakistan played their best. I hope our players will go back and think about the mistakes they committed. They are mentally and physically strong and should be able to come back as a different team," Walsh said.
Stopwatch: India 1 (N Thimmaiah 53) lost to Pakistan 2 (M Umar Bhutta 38, M Waqas 54)
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