Hardik Singh took a swipe at the Pakistan hockey team, asserting that there is no real competition between India and their traditional rivals, and emphasising the Men in Blue’s dominance in recent encounters.
The Indian hockey team has shown some tremendous growth in the last few years, bringing back the glory days in the sport. Harmanpreet Singh and Co. were recently crowned the Asian champions, which also helped them qualify for the next year’s FIH World Cup in Belgium and the Netherlands.
In recent years, India have firmly stamped its authority over Pakistan in hockey, going unbeaten in their last 10 meetings. Out of those clashes, India emerged victorious on eight occasions, while the remaining two ended in draws-underlining the growing gulf between the two sides.
During an event, vice-captain Hardik was quizzed on whether the India-Pakistan rivalry still had the same spark. His response was sharp and to the point, dismissing the notion and underscoring it with the much-discussed jet-fall gesture that has been making headlines recently.
“I think that right now there is no competition anymore, so there is no point about talking about it, there is no doubt in the widening gap. Because the way things are going these days, I think it is not there only,” said Hardik on the India Today Conclave.
The controversial ‘fighter jet’ gesture first caught attention during the India-Pakistan Super 4 clash in the Asia Cup 2025, with Pakistan pacer Haris Rauf at the centre of it. After sending back Sanju Samson, Rauf celebrated aggressively, but the flashpoint came later near the boundary line when Indian fans taunted him. In response, he gestured ‘0-6’ with his fingers – a mocking reference to Pakistan’s unsubstantiated claim of shooting down six Indian fighter jets during the four-day border confrontation that followed India’s Operation Sindoor earlier this year.”
“Pakistan athletes aren’t getting facilities”
Hardik Singh underlined India’s supremacy in hockey, reminding that Pakistan’s last win came way back in the last decade. Since then, he noted, the once-mighty rivals have slipped badly, going winless against India for more than a decade.
“I think their federation. I think their athletes are quite good, but they are not getting facilities. Like in 2014, they had won against us the last time. Since 2014, Pakistan has not won against India in hockey. Sir, 2014. So I think that in the last what, like twelve years? Yes we didn’t lose a match,” said Hardik.