India faces first big test as final spot beckons

Having scored 49 goals so far and annihilating all opposition so far in the competition, the Indian men’s hockey team will be up against its first big challenge when it takes on Pakistan in the semifinal of the Asian Games in Gifu on Thursday (October 1, 2026)

At stake for the defending champion would not only be a spot in the final and being a step away from a ticket to the Olympics, but also its title and reputation as the best team of the continent, something which took a battering at the recent World Cup.

Finishing eighth in the competition, despite still being the highest-ranked Asian side, questions had been raised not only about India’s quality but also its temperament on the big stage, while also putting several of the senior players in the side under the scanner. All those questions can well be brushed aside if India manages to get past the arch-rival in a face-off that has lost much of its edge in the past decade but retains an emotional value for fans on both sides.

India thrashed Pakistan 10-2 the last time around in 2023, but at the recent World Cup, things were much closer than India would have liked. The biggest threat would be Sufyan Khan, leading the goal-scoring charts with 11 and with crazy consistency in his conversion rate. He got all four goals (out of seven PCs) in Pakistan’s narrow 5-4 loss to Malaysia, its only one in the pool stage courtesy Malaysia’s winner in the 57th minute.

India’s scorers, on the other hand, have been more diverse: Dilpreet, Abhishek and Harmanpreet, all among the top five. The attack has been as expected; it’s India’s defence that will be tested for the first time. On paper, India should have an easy outing; the Indians would be wary of it being anything but.