Although both teams are equally matched in terms of strength, Pakistan look technically a little more equipped.

By Pargat Singh

I think it is time to forget the controversies in Indian hockey and look ahead to the championship. Nothing can be bigger than the game.

The heading of my piece may not be to your liking, especially if you are a die-hard Indian fan. I know what an India-Pakistan contest means in any sport and at any level. But then the team that controls its emotions better and plays the game according to a situation, always comes out triumph.

In terms of statistics, India and Pakistan have clashed four times in a World Cup and the honours have been split. Most teams prefer to play 3-3-3-1 in modern hockey but it finally boils down to your ability to defend, finish and convert short-corners.

Man-to-man, India and Pakistan have players of matching skill and experience. If Pakistan have a Sohail Abbas, India have a Prabhjot Singh or a Deepak Thakur. But Pakistan may just have that ‘extra' match-winner who could change the complexion of the game.

One man who could make the difference between winning and losing, is Wasim Ahmed. This Pakistani centre half, with more than 310 caps, is a versatile player who has enormous reserves of energy. With his amazing ability to feed the strikers, Wasim is one man India must mark very closely.

The only person who can stand up to Wasim is Sardara Singh. This youngster is playing good hockey and his ability to man the deep defence will be a crucial factor for sure. Sardara is a skilful tackler, but he must get good support from Gurbaz Singh, who is not in his best form.

In terms of team strategy, India's man-to-man tactic looks vulnerable. I understand coach Jose Brasa is a furious supporter of this strategy which perhaps works better with European teams. This man-to-man ploy increases risk and the chance of recovery is less. Indians are known to tire and hence the man-to-man plan may open up holes that may be difficult to plug.

Pakistan prefer zonal marking and I feel that it is a better ploy. You cover better, attack better and finish better. Chance of recovery is more and you always have the extra advantage in attack and defence.

Players reveal that Brasa is a smart tactician. In his 12 months or so with the team, he must have realized that Indians are prone to tiring. Hence, it will boil down to how Brasa uses his 16 players over 70 minutes. He gives them spells of 5 to 7 minutes each and I think that's a great plan to keep the players fresh at all times. I will be keenly watching Brasa's game plans.

Conversion rate of penalty corners has always been critical in hockey and it will be no different this time. All eyes will be on Sohail Abbas and Sandeep Singh. But Pakistan again have an edge here. They have the better "runners" to defend short corners. Even the Australians have found the Pakistani "runners" difficult to breach.

India have won both their warm-up games against Argentina and the Netherlands. Winning is always a good habit, but that should not make you complacent. We have always been inconsistent at the highest level. We win two games and then lose the third. This trend worries me.

Hockey is going the cricket way. TV referrals are an excellent addition to the game. With one referral allowed per team, it will tell how Rajpal Singh uses this to India's advantage. With the adrenaline flowing, using the referral well could become a factor in a high-pressure game.

I am not going to stick my neck and predict a semi-final line-up at this stage. Many European teams like the Netherlands and Germany are new and building for the London Olympics in 2012. Australia too have a new-look side. Let's see how it goes in the first few days.

(Former Indian captain Pargat Singh will be writing expert columns for espnstar.com throughout the World Cup)