Indo-Pak clash in Azlan Shah today

With medal hopes at stake, a scrappy India will have to lift their game by leaps and bounds when they take on sub-continental rivals Pakistan in the 25th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament here tomorrow, in what promises to be an intense encounter.

Five-time winners of the tournament, India were bronze medalists last year and are eager to stay in medal contention. But the Sardar Singh-led side, which features several youngsters, will have to raise its game by many fold after surviving a torrid time against Canada yesterday.

India's 3-1 victory over Canada has placed them third in the round-robin league standings with six points from three outings, while Pakistan have three points from as many matches. Pakistan's lone win came against Canada by a similar margin.

World champions Australia are leading the standings with a maximum nine points from three consecutive victories, while defending champions New Zealand are on eight points from four matches.

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