Rise of Pakistani Hockey Players in South Asian Games

Pakistani team cheered up to glory after defeating arch rival India at the group stage match of the 12th Asian Games at the Moullana Tyabulla Stadium, India on Monday, 8th February.

The win for Pakistan comes after the controversial incident that took place in December, 2014 during the Champions Trophy in Bhubaneswar where some Pakistani players were seen making obscene gestures at the Bhubaneswar crowd after their team's 4-3 win over hosts India. This led to a one-match ban on Muhammad Tousiq and Ali Amjad by the International Hockey Federation (FIH). "Pakistani players are suffering a lot but what they did during the 2014 Champions Trophy was unacceptable. They still haven't apologized for their behavior, so I feel they shouldn't be allowed (to participate in HIL)," Indian hockey team skipper Sardar Singh said at the time. India demanded an apology, which is yet to be issued, from the Pakistan Hockey Federation for the behavior of their players. Hence the bilateral ties between the two nations were completely frozen at the time.

However, there were no such ugly incidents on Monday after the group match between the fierce rivals at the 12th South Asian Games. In what is being seen as a humble gesture, the crowd showed sportsmanship by giving a standing ovation for the Pakistan team.

On Monday night, a full house turned up to watch the meeting between the two sides. Tickets were priced at Rs 10 and Rs 20 and had been sold out days ago, and those who realized the significance of this game later were left stranded outside the stadium entry gates. In the black market, the last going rate for a ticket was Rs 500.

It was Pakistani player Arslan Muhammad Qadir who rose to top, scoring in the opening field goal in the 11th minute and two minutes after the break in this two-half game. The Pakistani players constantly put the Indians under pressure and only a diving field goal from Mandeep Antil gave India a glimmer of hope before they went down 2-1. The vulnerability of the Indian team resulted from the lack of its top seeded stars.

The two sides are though expected to play in the final again on February 12 as they should finish first and second after the round robin league of the four teams taking part in the Games.

The reactions of the crowd might just serve as the tie that was required to mend the strife relationship between the hockey teams of the two countries.