President Pratibha Patil congratulated the Indian hockey team for beating arch-rivals Pakistan 4-1 in their campaign opener in the World Cup.

"I congratulate the Indian team for their splendid victory over Pakistan in the match and hope they will continue with the fine form in the tournament," said Patil.

President made the comments after arriving here from Pokhran, where she attended Indian Air Force's high-voltage exercise 'Vayu Shakti'.