Picture of the India Juniors Hockey Team for the Sultan of Johor tournament. / Hockey India

Sports encounters between India and Pakistan have always evoked global interest and enthusiasm, primarily due to their high quality of sportsmanship, spirit, and competitiveness. This bonhomie, however, got a severe hit in the first two encounters between the two neighbors and arch-rivals during the ongoing Asia Cup Cricket Tournament in Dubai.

Unsavoury and unsporting controversies overshadowed the spirit of the game, reducing the matches to mere sports formality with India notching up comfortable seven-wicket and six-wicket triumphs.

Refusal to shake hands at the end of the first game and cancellation of the Press Conference before the start of the Super Group opener not only left a bitter taste in the mouths of the enthusiastic sports fans all over the globe but also put a question mark over the future of such encounters. They wonder if the continental sports competitions have plummeted so low that even basic niceties of healthy sports competitions have been sacrificed.

The first game of the Super 4 is not the end of this healthy rivalry, as the two sworn sports enemies have many more engagements lined up for the immediate future. The possibility of the two teams coming face to face in the ongoing Asia Cup for the third time still looks real as India and Pakistan play the rest of their Super 4 games to decide the finalists.

After the Asia Cup, this rivalry will spill over to women’s cricket as India and Pakistan play each other in the ICC Women’s World Cup in Colombo on October 5.

After cricket, attention shifts to hockey as the junior squads of India and Pakistan face off against each other in the Sultan of Johor Cup Hockey Tournament in Malaysia, with India set to take on Pakistan on October 14. The chances of the two teams playing against each other in the playoffs also cannot be ruled out.

In November, when India hosts the FIH Hockey World Cup for Junior Men, India and Pakistan are drawn in the same pool with Switzerland and Chile. The inclusion of Pakistan in the main draw and the release of the match schedule indicate that the Pakistan team will travel to Chennai/Madurai for the 2025 Junior World Cup.

Since both India and Pakistan are sending their teams to the Sultan of Johor Hockey Tournament, considered a pre-World Cup event, all eyes will remain focused on the India-Pakistan encounter.

Pakistan Hockey Federation is already holding a camp to prepare its junior team for the Sultan of Johor tournament. Players attending the camp are Ali Raza, Muhammad F. Janjua, Muhamad Sufyan Khan, Aqeel Ahmad, Muhammad Nadeem Khan, Basharat Ali, Saif Ullah, Muhammad Wasim, Sami Ullah, Zikriya Hayat, Muhammad Ammad, Abdul Hannan Shahid, Muhammad Mughira Mavla, Abdul Qayyum, Rana Muhammad Waheed Ashraf, Hamza Fayyaz, Umar Ashraf, Talmoor Javed, Daniyal Anhad, Umar Farooq, Shahbaz Ahmad, Hassan Shahbaz, Noman Bukhari, Yasir Khan, Sultan Mahmood, Syed Muhammad Saad Ali, Basil Mahmood, M Izhar-ul-Haq, Rana M Aleema, Muhammad Adnan, Muhammad Shaheer, Muhammad Hassan, Muhammad Fasi and Abdul Wassay.

Former international Ajmal Khan Lodhi serves as the team's manager, while Olympian Kamran Ashraf is the team's coach.

On the other hand, India has already named its squad for the Sultan of Johor tournament. Coached by former Olympian and star goalkeeper PR Sreejesh, Indian team comprises of Bikram Jit Singh and Princedeep Singh, Rohit, Talem Priyobrata, Anmol Ekka, Amir Ali, Sunil P B and Ravneet Singh, Ankit Pal, Thounaojam Inga Lemba Luwang, Adroit Lakra, Analjit Singh Hundal, Rosan Kujur, and Manmeet Singh, Arshdeep Singh, Sourabh Anand Kushwaha, Ajeet Yadav and Gurjot Singh.

Meanwhile, Pakistan, after being accepted to play in the prestigious FIH Pro League, has decided to skip the subsequent edition of the Sultan Azlan Shah Hockey Cup. This year, the tournament featuring Belgium, India, New Zealand, Malaysia, Korea, and Canada will be played without the finalists of the last edition – Japan and Pakistan.

Even 10-time champion Australia will be missing from the annual event to be played in Ipoh, Malaysia, from November 23 to 30. India has won the Sultan Azlan Shah tournament five times, while Pakistan has won it three times.

Hockey fans in Ipoh will miss the India-Pakistan encounter. However, hockey fans will see the two Asian giants face off against each other in the FIH Pro League.