Indian women’s hockey team eyes Australian test series

New Delhi

The Indian women’s hockey team is set for an exciting five-match series in Perth, Australia, from April 26 to May 4. The tour includes two matches against Australia A (April 26 and 27) and three high-intensity games against the fifth-ranked Australian national team on May 1, 3, and 4.

Ranked ninth in the world, India heads into the series with confidence after a recent 2-2 draw and bonus shootout win over world No. 1 Netherlands in Bhubaneswar. This result showed India’s growing strength on the global stage.

The Indian squad has also had strong recent performances against Australia. They secured a 1-0 win in the 2023-24 FIH Pro League and stunned the world with their historic Olympic semifinal victory at Tokyo 2021. Though they narrowly lost to Australia in a 2022 Commonwealth Games semifinal shootout, the team has shown they can compete with the best.

Australia still leads their overall head-to-head record, with 10 wins in 16 matches since 2013. India has won three times, and three matches have ended in draws.

Head Coach Harendra Singh called the tour a vital step in preparing for the Pro League’s European leg. “We’ve shown we can challenge top teams like the Netherlands. This tour will test us and show where we need to improve,” he said. “The players are focused and working hard. We’re ready for this challenge.”