Rivalries in hockey usually come with labels attached. India versus Pakistan carries the weight of history and politics. Australia against the Netherlands is often sold as a clash between two modern powerhouses. Belgium taking on anyone from the sport’s elite rarely disappoints.
Yet, the most underrated rivalry in world hockey might just be India versus England.
When they meet again at the World Cup on Monday, the fixture will arrive without the noise or narrative that accompanies the sport’s bigger rivalries. But the recent history between the two teams suggests it deserves far more attention.
The evidence has been piling up for years.
Start with the obvious point: these matches are almost always close.
The 2022 Commonwealth Games semifinal ended 4-4 before England prevailed in the shootout. Their meeting at the 2023 World Cup in Rourkela finished 0-0 after a fiercely contested battle. The Pro League encounters have repeatedly been decided by a single goal or a shootout. In fact, since the last time these two teams (either as England or Great Britain) met at a World Cup in the Netherlands back in June 2014, 11 out of the 24 games have been decided by a margin of one goal, while 10 have ended in a draw. There is rarely much daylight between these two teams.
If there is one match that perfectly captures this rivalry, it is the Olympic quarterfinal in 2024. It also added needle to the duel.
India were reduced to 10 men after Amit Rohidas was sent off in the 17th minute. Against most elite teams, that should have been a death sentence. Against Great Britain, it became one of the finest performances in recent Indian hockey history.
Harmanpreet Singh gave India the lead before Great Britain equalised. What followed was a defensive masterclass. India absorbed relentless pressure for more than three quarters of the contest, defended with extraordinary discipline and somehow dragged the game into a shootout.
Every Indian player converted. PR Sreejesh made two saves. India won 4-2 and advanced to a second successive Olympic semifinal. By the end of a true classic, exhausted players had collapsed on the turf, and Sreejesh had produced another image that would eventually become part of Indian hockey folklore.
That quarterfinal, played in front of a packed stadium in Paris, was a reminder of how compelling this fixture can be. There were many Dutch fans in the stands that afternoon, filling up the venue for their team’s quarterfinal against Australia later in the day. There will be many Dutch fans in the stands again on Monday at one of hockey’s most hallowed venues.
The second reason this rivalry works so well is stylistic.
England are among the most organised teams in international hockey. They defend with discipline, stay compact and are exceptionally difficult to break down. Their structure often forces opponents into mistakes.
India prefer something entirely different.
Craig Fulton’s team thrives on rhythm. Quick passing through midfield, fast transitions and repeated circle entries have become defining features of this side. India want to move the ball quickly and create controlled chaos. England want to minimise it.
Those contrasting philosophies almost guarantee an intriguing tactical battle. Perhaps that is why neither side ever seems entirely comfortable against the other.
There is also a broader shift that has transformed the fixture over the last decade.
Until a couple of decades ago, this wasn’t really a rivalry. England and Great Britain were the more established international sides. It was the 2-0 loss to Britain in 2008, in fact, that led to India missing out on the Olympics for the first – and so far, the last – time in history.
India’s Olympic bronze medal in Tokyo and Paris, and the steady evolution under successive coaching regimes have brought them back into hockey’s top tier. England have remained where they have always been: organised, competitive and impossible to dismiss.
Which is why Monday’s match could become one of the most consequential fixtures of the tournament.
The World Cup’s new format has significantly raised the stakes. A victory for either side – level on points after matchday 1 (India beat Wales, England beat Pakistan) would significantly strengthen a team’s chances of topping Pool D and, more importantly, carrying valuable points into the second stage.
India and England may never generate the headlines that accompany some of hockey’s more celebrated rivalries.
But if the last few years have taught us anything, it’s that when these two teams meet, clear favourites are hard to find, comfortable victories are even harder to predict, and the chances of witnessing another classic are remarkably high.
India vs England, 6.30pm, live on Star Sports Network and JioHotstar
11: Number of matches between India and England/Great Britain, out of the last 24 encounters since the 2014 World Cup, that have been decided by a margin of one goal.
10: Number of matches in the same period that have ended in draws
4: Average goals scored per game involving these two sides
Over the course of a 18-year-long career, Mihir Vasavda has covered 2010 FIFA World Cup; the London 2012, Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympic Games; Asian Games in 2014 and 2022; Commonwealth Games in 2010 and 2018; Hockey World Cups in 2018 and 2023 and the 2023 ODI Cricket World Cup. ... Read More
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