Asian Champions Trophy: Pakistan Hockey Team Arrives in India via Attari-Wagah Border

New Delhi: The Pakistan hockey team arrived in India on Tuesday via the Attari-Wagah border, all set to participate in the highly-anticipated Asian Champions Trophy starting on Thursday. The much-awaited clash between arch-rivals India and Pakistan is scheduled for August 9.

The Pakistan team entered Amritsar by road and will later fly to Chennai tonight. Meanwhile, the Indian team, led by Harmanpreet Singh, reached Chennai on Tuesday morning. Both teams are gearing up for their opening matches at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium at Egmore on Thursday – India will face China, while Pakistan will take on another opponent.

The Asian Hockey Champions Trophy initially launched as a women’s teams competition in 2010 and expanded to include men’s teams in 2011 with six top teams from the continent. The tournament was held annually until 2013, but from 2016 onwards, it became a biennial event.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 edition was postponed to 2021. The previous edition in 2021 saw South Korea emerge as the defending champions after defeating Japan in the final.

Notably, both India and Pakistan have three victories each in the tournament, with the two nations sharing the trophy in 2018. The fans eagerly await the thrilling encounter between these hockey powerhouses on August 9.

Pakistan squad: Muhammad Umar Bhatta (capt), Akmal Hussain, Abdullah Ishtiaq Khan, Muhammad Abdullah, Muhammad Sufyan Khan, Ehtsham Aslam, Osama Bashir, Aqeel Ahmed, Arshad Liaquat, Muhammad Imad, Abdul Hanan Shahid, Zakaria Hayat, Rana Abdul Waheed Ashraf (vc), Roman, Muhammad Murtaza Yaqoob, Muhammad Shahzaib Khan, Afraz, Abdul Rahman, while the standby includes Ali Raza, Muhammad Baqir, Muhammad Nadeem Khan, Abdul Wahab, Waqar Ali, Muhammad Arsalan and Abdul Qayyum.