The Indian women’s hockey team is set to embark on a high-stakes tour of Australia for a five-match series scheduled from April 26 to May 4. The tour will kick off with two matches against Australia A, followed by three clashes against the world No. 5-ranked Hockeyroos. All matches will take place at the Perth Hockey Stadium.
India will open the tour with back-to-back games against Australia A on April 26 and 27, before facing the senior Australian women’s team on May 1, 3, and 4 in what promises to be intense and closely contested encounters.
Ranked ninth in the FIH World Rankings, India will look to carry forward their recent momentum and fine-tune their preparations ahead of the European leg of the FIH Pro League 2024–25, which begins in June.
The team heads into the series on a confident note, following a spirited performance against world No. 1 Netherlands in Bhubaneswar, where they held the Dutch to a 2-2 draw and clinched a bonus point in a thrilling shootout—bringing their home leg of the Pro League to a positive close.
India can also draw inspiration from recent success against Australia. In their last meeting during the FIH Pro League 2023–24, India secured a narrow 1-0 victory. The two sides share a compelling rivalry, notably when India stunned the three-time Olympic champions 1-0 in the quarterfinals of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics to reach the semi-finals. In the 2022 Commonwealth Games semi-final, the teams played out a 1-1 draw in regulation time, with Australia prevailing in the shootout.
However, Australia holds the historical advantage, having won 10 of the 16 matches between the two sides since 2013. India has won three, while three matches have ended in draws.
Speaking about the upcoming tour, Indian women’s team head coach Harendra Singh said, “This tour is a crucial part of our preparation for the European leg of the Pro League. Playing against a quality side like Australia will challenge our players and provide valuable insights into our progress. We’ve shown our potential against top teams, like the Netherlands, and we aim to build on that momentum.”
He added, “Our matches with Australia have always been competitive. While they’ve had the upper hand historically, we’ve proven in recent years that we can match them. The team is motivated and putting in the hard yards at the camp to refine our strategies and enhance cohesion before we leave for Perth.”
Ahead of the tour, the players are undergoing intense training at the ongoing Senior Women’s National Coaching Camp at SAI, Bengaluru, focusing on tactical drills and strengthening team synergy.
(With IANS inputs)
