India, Aug. 16 -- The Pakistan hockey team has failed to beat India for more than a decade, but captain Abu Bakar Mahmood is confident of ending that streak at the FIH World Cup, insisting that when arch-rivals meet, rankings matter little and it is the team that performs better on the day that prevails.

India will face Pakistan in the FIH World Cup on August 19. India defeated Wales 3-1 in the opening match, while England thrashed Pakistan 4-1 in another pool D match.

"I have no hesitation in accepting that the Indian team is much better than us in rankings, but in the India-Pakistan match, rankings don't matter. The performance on that day is important... It will only be decided on the day of the match which team is playing well and w...