# India–Pakistan field hockey rivalry

The India–Pakistan field hockey rivalry is among the most intense sporting rivalries in the Asia and the world in the sport of field hockey. India and Pakistan have played against each other numerous times in international field hockey. They participate in World Cup, FIH Pro League, Summer Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, Asia Cup, Men's Asian Champions Trophy, Asian Games, South Asian Games and Sultan Azlan Shah Cup.
India and Pakistan have a record of facing each other in the first six Asian Games hockey finals. They have played a total of eight finals against each other in which Pakistan has won six gold and India has won two gold. Both nations have played each other from 1956 to 1964 in three successive Olympic Hockey finals. India won gold twice while Pakistan won once. They also faced each other in three Asia Cup finals, with Pakistan two of those finals. Pakistan also hold the record of winning the first three Asia Cup (i.e. 1982, 1985 and 1989), doing so against India in a row. Both teams participate in Sultan Azlan Shah Cup which is held every year in Malaysia. The only World Cup final played between India and Pakistan was in 1975, which resulted in a 2–1 win for India.
In Head-to-Head matches, Pakistan has won 82 games compared to India with 67 games. When it comes to the World Cup, Pakistan have won 4 times compared to India with 1.When it comes to Olympics India has won 8 compared to Pakistan 3.
Among the three top goal-scorers in this bilateral rivalry, Sohail Abbas of Pakistan leads by a country mile, scoring 54 goals. He is followed by Pakistan's Hassan Sardar (22 goals) and India's Sandeep Singh (20 goals).

## Statistics
### By Year

Decade wise record of India vs Pakistan field hockey:
| Year | Matches | Results | Results | Results | Goals | Goals |
| Year | Matches | India | Pakistan | Draw | India | Pakistan |
| 1950s | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1960s | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| 1970s | 13 | 3 | 9 | 1 | 10 | 27 |
| 1980s | 46 | 14 | 22 | 10 | 79 | 111 |
| 1990s | 26 | 9 | 13 | 4 | 52 | 62 |
| 2000s | 47 | 14 | 27 | 6 | 108 | 128 |
| 2010s | 35 | 19 | 8 | 8 | 102 | 62 |
| 2020s | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 24 | 8 |
| Total | 181 | 67 | 82 | 32 | 379 | 403 |

### By Tournament

The record between India and Pakistan by tournament is:
| Tournament | Matches | Results | Results | Results | Goals | Goals |
| Tournament | Matches | India | Pakistan | Draw | India | Pakistan |
| Test series | 52 | 16 | 25 | 11 | 104 | 124 |
| Summer Olympics | 7 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 8 |
| World Cup | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 7 |
| Champions Trophy | 19 | 7 | 12 | 0 | 48 | 54 |
| Asian Games | 16 | 5 | 8 | 3 | 27 | 31 |
| Asia Cup | 9 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 18 | 20 |
| Asian Champions Trophy | 12 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 34 | 23 |
| Commonwealth Games | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 10 |
| FIH Hockey World League | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 4 |
| Afro-Asian Games | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 3 |
| Other Matches (Continent wise) |||||||
| Africa | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 |
| Americas | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 8 |
| Asia | 36 | 16 | 14 | 6 | 79 | 69 |
| Europe | 10 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 16 | 33 |
| Oceania | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 12 | 9 |
| Total | 181 | 67 | 82 | 32 | 379 | 403 |

## Major tournaments won

* indicates that the team has more titles in that competition than its rival.
| Tournament | India | Pakistan |
| Summer Olympics | 8 (1928, 1932, 1936, 1948, 1952, 1956, 1964, 1980) | 3 (1960, 1968, 1984) |
| World Cup | 1 (1975) | 4 (1971, 1978, 1982, 1994) |
| Champions Trophy | — | 3 (1978, 1980, 1994) |
| Sultan Azlan Shah Cup | 5 (1985, 1991, 1995, 2009, 2010) | 3 (1999, 2000, 2003) |
| Champions Challenge | 1 (2001) | — |
| Hockey Series | 1 (2018–19) | — |
| Asia Cup | 3 (2003, 2007, 2017) | 3 (1982, 1985, 1989) |
| Asian Champions Trophy | 5 (2011, 2016, 2018, 2023, 2024) | 3 (2012, 2013, 2018) |
| Asian Games | 4 (1966, 1998, 2014, 2022) | 8 (1958, 1962, 1970, 1974, 1978, 1982, 1990, 2010) |
| Afro-Asian Games | 1 (2003) | — |
| South Asian Games | 1 (1995) | 3 (2006, 2010, 2016) |
| Total | 30 | 30 |

## Records
### Top goal-scorers

Pakistan
| Rank | Player | Goals | Years |
| 1 | Sohail Abbas | 54 | 1998–2012 |
| 2 | Hassan Sardar | 22 | 1979–1987 |
| 3 | Rehan Butt | 19 | 2002–2012 |
| 4 | Hanif Khan | 13 | 1976–1985 |
| 4 | Kaleemullah | 13 | 1979–1986 |
Source:
India
| Rank | Player | Goals | Years |
| 1 | Sandeep Singh | 20 | 2004–2012 |
| 2 | Gagan Ajit Singh | 18 | 1997–2007 |
| 3 | Mohinder Pal Singh | 15 | 1976–1988 |
| 3 | Baljit Singh Dhillon | 15 | 1993–2004 |
| 5 | Dhanraj Pillay | 11 | 1989–2004 |
Source:

## Test series

India and Pakistan have played test series from 1978 to 2006. They played eight series in this span out of which Pakistan have won six, India one and one series drawn. Out of a total 52 matches played Pakistan has won 25, India 16 and 11 matches ending in draws. The goal aggregation so far is 124–104 in Pakistan's favour. Reports of the series being revived emerged in 2013 and 2017, but have not materialized as of 2022.
Overall results: :
| Year | Matches | Winner | Results | Pakistan | Pakistan | India | India |
| Year | Matches | Winner | Results | Captain | Coach | Captain | Coach |
| 1978 | 4 | Pakistan win | 3–1 | Islahuddin Siddique | Sayad A. Hussain | Victor Philips | Randhir Singh Gentle |
| 1981 | 4 | Pakistan win | 2–1 | Akhtar Rasool | Khwaja Zakauddin | Surjit Singh Randhawa | Harmik Singh |
| 1986 | 7 | India win | 3–2 | Hassan Sardar | Anwar Ahmad Khan | Mohammed Shahid | M. P. Ganesh |
| 1988 | 6 | Draw | 2–2 | Nasir Ali | Manzoor-ul Hassan | M. M. Somaya | M. P. Ganesh |
| 1998 | 8 | Pakistan win | 4–3 | Tahir Zaman | Islahuddin Siddique | Dhanraj Pillay | Vasudevan Baskaran |
| 1999 | 9 | Pakistan win | 6–3 | Atif Bashir | Shehnaz Sheikh | Anil Aldrin | Vasudevan Baskaran |
| 2004 | 8 | Pakistan win | 4–2 | Waseem Ahmad | Roelant Oltmans | Dilip Tirkey | Gehard Rach |
| 2006 | 6 | Pakistan win | 3–1 | Muhammad Saqlain | Asif Bajwa | Ignace Tirkey | Rajinder Singh Jr. |

## Results in major tournaments

The following table show India vs Pakistan in major tournaments :
| Tournament | Year | Venue | Winning team, result |
| Olympic Games | 1956 | Melbourne | India, 1–0 |
| Asian Games | 1958 | Tokyo | Draw, 0–0 |
| Olympic Games | 1960 | Rome | Pakistan, 1–0 |
| Asian Games | 1962 | Jakarta | Pakistan, 2–0 |
| Olympic Games | 1964 | Tokyo | India, 1–0 |
| Asian Games | 1966 | Bangkok | India, 1–0 |
| Asian Games | 1970 | Bangkok | Pakistan, 1–0 |
| World Cup | 1971 | Barcelona | Pakistan, 2–1 |
| Olympic Games | 1972 | Munich | Pakistan, 2–0 |
| World Cup | 1973 | Amsterdam | India, 1–0 |
| Asian Games | 1974 | Tehran | Draw, 1–1 |
| Asian Games | 1974 | Tehran | Pakistan, 2–0 |
| World Cup | 1975 | Kuala Lumpur | India, 2–1 |
| Asian Games | 1978 | Bangkok | Pakistan, 1–0 |
| Champions Trophy | 1980 | Karachi | Pakistan, 7–1 |
| Asia Cup | 1982 | Karachi | Pakistan, 4–0 |
| Champions Trophy | 1982 | Amstelveen | India, 5–4 |
| Asian Games | 1982 | New Delhi | Pakistan, 7–1 |
| Sultan Azlan Shah Cup | 1983 | Kuala Lumpur | Draw, 1–1 |
| Champions Trophy | 1983 | Karachi | Pakistan, 2–0 |
| Asia Cup | 1985 | Dhaka | Pakistan, 3–2 |
| Champions Trophy | 1985 | Perth | India, 2–1 |
| Sultan Azlan Shah Cup | 1985 | Ipoh | India, 1–0 |
| Champions Trophy | 1986 | Karachi | India, 3–2 |
| Asian Games | 1986 | Seoul | Pakistan, 3–1 |
| World Cup | 1986 | London | Pakistan, 3–2 |
| Olympic Games | 1988 | Seoul | Pakistan, 2–1 |
| Asia Cup | 1989 | New Delhi | Pakistan, 2–0 |
| Champions Trophy | 1989 | West Berlin | Pakistan, 1–0 |
| Asian Games | 1990 | Beijing | Pakistan, 3–2 |
| Sultan Azlan Shah Cup | 1991 | Ipoh | India, 1–0 |
| South Asian Games | 1995 | Madras | India, 5–2 |
| Champions Trophy | 1995 | Berlin | Pakistan, 2–1 |
| Champions Trophy | 1996 | Madras | Pakistan, 3–2 |
| Olympic Games | 1996 | Atlanta | Draw, 0–0 |
| Sultan Azlan Shah Cup | 2000 | Kuala Lumpur | Pakistan, 2–1 |
| Sultan Azlan Shah Cup | 2001 | Kuala Lumpur | Pakistan, 4–3 |
| Champions Trophy | 2002 | Cologne | India, 3–2 |
| Champions Trophy | 2002 | Cologne | Pakistan, 4–3 |
| Asian Games | 2002 | Busan | India, 4–3 |
| Afro-Asian Games | 2003 | Hyderabad | India, 4–2 |
| Afro-Asian Games | 2003 | Hyderabad | India, 3–1 |
| Champions Trophy | 2003 | Amstelveen | India, 7–4 |
| Champions Trophy | 2003 | Amstelveen | Pakistan, 4–3 |
| Asia Cup | 2003 | Kuala Lumpur | Pakistan, 4–2 |
| Asia Cup | 2003 | Kuala Lumpur | India, 4–2 |
| Olympic Qualifier | 2004 | Madrid | Pakistan, 5–3 |
| Olympic Qualifier | 2004 | Madrid | Pakistan, 4–2 |
| Olympic Games | 2004 | Athens | Pakistan, 3–0 |
| Champions Trophy | 2004 | Lahore | Pakistan, 2–1 |
| Champions Trophy | 2004 | Lahore | Pakistan, 3–2 |
| Sultan Azlan Shah Cup | 2004 | Kuala Lumpur | Pakistan, 3–2 |
| Champions Trophy | 2005 | Chennai | India, 3–2 |
| Champions Trophy | 2005 | Chennai | Pakistan, 4–3 |
| Sultan Azlan Shah Cup | 2005 | Ipoh | Pakistan, 3–2 |
| Commonwealth Games | 2006 | Melbourne | Pakistan, 4–1 |
| South Asian Games | 2006 | Colombo | India, 2–0 |
| South Asian Games | 2006 | Colombo | Pakistan, 3–2 |
| Sultan Azlan Shah Cup | 2008 | Ipoh | India, 2–1 |
| Asia Cup | 2009 | Kuantan | Pakistan, 3–2 |
| Sultan Azlan Shah Cup | 2009 | Ipoh | India, 2–1 |
| Champions Challenge I | 2009 | Salta | Pakistan, 6–3 |
| World Cup | 2010 | New Delhi | India, 4–1 |
| South Asian Games | 2010 | Dhaka | India, 5–1 |
| South Asian Games | 2010 | Dhaka | Draw, 1–1 (4–3 p.s.o Pakistan) |
| Commonwealth Games | 2010 | New Delhi | India, 7–4 |
| Sultan Azlan Shah Cup | 2010 | Ipoh | India, 4–2 |
| Asian Games | 2010 | Guangzhou | India, 3–2 |
| Asian Champions Trophy | 2011 | Ordos | Draw, 2–2 |
| Draw, 0–0 (4–2 p.s.o India) |
| Sultan Azlan Shah Cup | 2011 | Ipoh | Pakistan, 3–1 |
| Sultan Azlan Shah Cup | 2012 | Ipoh | India, 2–1 |
| Champions Trophy | 2012 | Melbourne | Pakistan, 3–2 |
| Asian Champions Trophy | 2012 | Doha | India, 2–1 |
| Pakistan, 5–4 |
| Sultan Azlan Shah Cup | 2013 | Ipoh | India, 3–1 |
| India, 4–2 |
| Asian Champions Trophy | 2013 | Kakamigahara | Pakistan, 5–4 |
| Asian Games | 2014 | Incheon | Pakistan, 2–1 |
| Draw, 1–1 (4–2 p.s.o India) |
| Champions Trophy | 2014 | Bhubaneswar | Pakistan, 4–3 |
| FIH Hockey World League | 2014–15 | Antwerp | Draw, 2–2 |
| South Asian Games | 2016 | Guwahati | Pakistan, 2–1 |
| South Asian Games | 2016 | Guwahati | Pakistan, 1–0 |
| Sultan Azlan Shah Cup | 2016 | Ipoh | India, 5–1 |
| Asian Champions Trophy | 2016 | Kuantan | India, 3–2 |
| Asian Champions Trophy | 2016 | Kuantan | India, 3–2 |
| FIH Hockey World League | 2016–17 | London | India, 7–1 |
| FIH Hockey World League | 2016–17 | London | India, 6–1 |
| Asia Cup | 2017 | Dhaka | India, 3–1 |
| Asia Cup | 2017 | Dhaka | India, 4–0 |
| Commonwealth Games | 2018 | Gold Coast | Draw, 2–2 |
| Champions Trophy | 2018 | Breda | India, 4–0 |
| Asian Games | 2018 | Jakarta | India, 2–1 |
| Asian Champions Trophy | 2018 | Muscat | India, 3–1 |
| Asian Champions Trophy | 2021 | Dhaka | India, 3–1 |
| Asian Champions Trophy | 2021 | Dhaka | India, 4–3 |
| Asia Cup | 2022 | Jakarta | Draw, 1–1 |
| Asian Champions Trophy | 2023 | Chennai | India, 4–0 |
| Asian Games | 2022 | Hangzhou | India, 10–2 |
| Asian Champions Trophy | 2024 | Hulunbuir | India, 2–1 |

## Other matches

Other matches played between India and Pakistan are:
| Tournament | Year | Venue | Results | Results | Results |
| Tournament | Year | Venue | India | Pakistan | Note |
| Hockey Festival | 1966 | Hamburg | 1 | 1 | Draw |
| Pre-Olympic Invitation Tournament | 1967 | London | 0 | 1 | Pakistan win |
| Jinnah Memorial Cup | 1976 | Lahore | 0 | 5 | Pakistan win |
| Pentangular Cup | 1980 | Kuala Lumpur | 1 | 3 | Pakistan win |
| Test Matches | 1982 | Dubai | 1 | 5 | Pakistan win |
| Test Matches | 1982 | Dubai | 1 | 3 | Pakistan win |
| Esanda Cup | 1982 | Melbourne | 2 | 1 | India win |
| Golden Jubilee Cup | 1983 | Hong Kong | 1 | 5 | Pakistan win |
| Test Matches | 1985 | Kuwait City | 1 | 0 | India win |
| Test Matches | 1985 | Kuwait City | 1 | 0 | India win |
| Test Matches | 1985 | Doha | 1 | 1 | Draw |
| Emirates Cup | 1986 | Dubai | 2 | 2 | Draw |
| Emirates Cup | 1986 | Kuwait City | 3 | 3 | Draw |
| 4 Nations Cups | 1986 | Leningrad | 0 | 2 | Pakistan win |
| Marshall Invitation Cup | 1988 | Nairobi | 3 | 0 | India win |
| Marshall Invitation Cup | 1988 | Nairobi | 1 | 1 | Draw |
| Indira Gandhi Gold Cup | 1989 | Lucknow | 0 | 3 | Pakistan win |
| Atlanta Challenge Cup | 1996 | Atlanta | 2 | 2 | Draw |
| Prime Ministers Cup | 2001 | Dhaka | 3 | 3 | India win in Penalties (6–5) |
| 4 nations tournament | 2003 | Perth | 2 | 0 | India win |
| 4 nations tournament | 2003 | Sydney | 4 | 4 | Draw |
| RaboTrophy | 2004 | Amsterdam | 1 | 6 | Pakistan win |
| RaboTrophy | 2004 | Amsterdam | 3 | 5 | Pakistan win |
| RaboTrophy | 2005 | Amsterdam | 1 | 3 | Pakistan win |
| 3 nations tournament | 2011 | Busselton | 3 | 3 | Draw |
| 3 nations tournament | 2011 | Bunbury | 1 | 1 | Draw |
| Friendly | 2011 | India | 2 | 3 | Pakistan win |
| Lanco International Super Series | 2012 | Perth | 5 | 2 | India win |

## Players who have played for both teams

Prior to the Partition of India in 1947 India had played field hockey, having first played as an international side in 1926. Following the Partition, Pakistan was created and began playing as an independent nation, making their debut at the 1948 Summer Olympics.
The following players played for Pakistan after appearing for India. They are:
* Ali Dara – Represented India at 1936 Olympics; and for Pakistan at 1948 Olympics
* Peter Paul Fernandes – Represented India at 1936 Olympics; and for Pakistan after 1948
* Latif-ur Rehman – Represented India at 1948 Olympics; and for Pakistan at 1952 and 1956 Olympics
* Akhtar Hussain – Represented India at 1948 Olympics; and for Pakistan at 1956 Olympics