With India and Pakistan set for a highly anticipated encounter in the Hockey World Cup on Wednesday, former India goalie PR Sreejesh said that India-Pakistan matches no longer carry the same edge they once did, with the Indian team having made significant strides in fitness, strength, game awareness and decision-making.

“Matches against Pakistan are not as tough as they used to be. Conceding goals in the last quarter or final minutes used to be a problem for us, but that is no longer the case. Now, we are the ones scoring late to win matches,” Sreejesh said on JioHotstar

“Earlier, during the 35-minute halves, we used to make mistakes due to fitness or poor decision-making and let in goals. But since the four-quarter system came in, and even before that, we made big improvements in our fitness, strength, game awareness, and decision-making,” he added.

The two-time Olympic bronze medallist also said that while past matches between the two countries were close, the balance has since shifted in favour of India.

“In the past, India versus Pakistan games were tight, often ending 1-0 or 2-1. Pakistan still have potential, but their current team’s level is not the same as before,” he said.

“The Indian men’s hockey team has been playing a new formation for the past year and a half. That formation mostly forces us into defense, but in the recent Pro League, we pushed up and pressed hard in many matches,” he added.

Meanwhile, the clash on Wednesday is a sell-out, with the 10,000-capacity Wagener Stadium set to witness a packed house for the high-profile Pool D contest. The match has generated considerable interest among the Indian and Pakistani communities in the Netherlands, with tickets having been sold online in phases since September 2025.

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“Tickets were sold online from September 2025. We have sold them in phases, with the first phase in September and the next one in March this year,” Tamara Bouwmans, communication officer of the Royal Dutch Hockey Association (KNHB), told PTI.

The ticketing platform offered several categories, with prices ranging from 35 Euros for a South Stand ticket for non-Dutch matches to 57 Euros for a covered Main Stand day ticket. Hospitality tickets were priced at 251.34 Euros.

(With agency inputs)