India renew rivalry with Pakistan as they face each other in 1st semifinal of the Asian Games

The Indian men’s hockey team will renew one of international hockey’s fiercest rivalries when the defending champions take on Pakistan in the first semifinal of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026 in Japan on Thursday, with a place in the gold-medal match at stake. The second semifinal will be played between Malaysia and South Korea.

India have been unbeaten in the tournament so far, finishing at the top of Pool A with five wins from five matches. The campaign began with a 13-1 victory over Indonesia, followed by a 16-1 win against Sri Lanka. India then produced an 8-2 result against South Korea before overcoming hosts Japan 2-0 in what proved to be their toughest pool-stage contest. The scoreline in the win over the South Korean team was India’s best against them in the Asian Games history. India signed off the group phase with a commanding 10-0 win over Bangladesh.

India men hammer Bangladesh 10-0 to set up blockbuster semifinal clash against Pakistan

While India have been clinical across the tournament, their attacking unit has also found its rhythm at the right time. Striker Dilpreet Singh has been among the leading scorers with nine goals, putting him joint second on the tournament’s scoring chart. His fellow forward Abhishek and captain Harmanpreet Singh have eight goals each, with Harmanpreet’s drag-flicks continuing to be a force to reckon with on penalty corners.

Skipper Harmanpreet Singh’s drag-flicks continuing to be a force to reckon with on penalty corners. Pics: Hockey India

Pakistan, meanwhile, had been on course to finish top of Pool B and potentially meet India in the final, but a narrow 4-5 defeat to Malaysia pushed them into second place and set up Thursday’s much-anticipated semifinal. In their other pool matches, Pakistan registered wins over Thailand (9-0), Uzbekistan (5-1), China (3-0) and Oman (7-2).

Pakistan’s scoring hopes will be led by drag-flick specialist Sufiyan Khan, who has been prolific from penalty-corner situations and currently tops the tournament scoring charts with 11 goals. His battle with India’s Harmanpreet could become one of the defining aspects of the contest, with both sides aware that conceding penalty corners could prove costly.

Raj Kumar Pal out, Nilakanta Sharma comes in

India will be without midfielder Raj Kumar Pal, who has been ruled out after sustaining a left thumb fracture during the team’s last pool match against Bangladesh. Travelling reserve Nilakanta Sharma has been brought into the squad as his replacement, adding another experienced option to India’s midfield ahead of the high-pressure encounter.

India overcome gritty Seoyeon Lee and South Korea 2-0 to book final berth against China

“It’s just unfortunate for Raj. At the same time, we have great experience that’s coming in. Nilakanta has been at the Olympics, World Cup. So, it’s a nice addition in terms of an experienced player coming in at an important time,” said the team’s Chief Coach, Craig Fulton.

The Thursday weather forecast for Kakamigahara is sunny, unlike incessant rain at the start of this week.

Beyond the form and numbers, Thursday’s contest carries the weight of a rivalry that has produced countless memorable moments over the years. India have not lost to Pakistan since the 2016 South Asian Games final, and the defending champions will look to extend that unbeaten run in another major tournament encounter.

“In tournament hockey, all roads lead to this point. Semifinals are games of consequence, so it’s exciting,” Fulton added. “We’ll fine-tune all that we have to for penalty-corner attack, penalty-corner defence and whatever else we are focusing on. But the main thing is it’s about us. It’s about putting our game-plan in. We’ve had five good games and got good momentum going into this (semifinal).”

With both teams now just one victory away from the Asian Games final, there will be little room for error. India will look to combine their attacking firepower with defensive discipline, while Pakistan will aim to make their penalty-corner opportunities count.

For India, a win would not only secure a place in the final but also take them one step closer to their first successful defence of the Asian Games gold medal.