The Indian women's hockey team is gearing up to play a five-match series against Australia between April 26 and May 4. This will be a high-stakes match for the Indian team. The tour will begin with two games against Australia A, and then there will be three games against the Hockeyroos, who are rated fifth in the world. All the matches will be played at the Perth Hockey Stadium. Before taking on the senior Australian women's team on May 1, 3, and 4, the Indian team will kick off the tour with back-to-back matches against Australia A on April 26 and 27.
India, now ranked ninth in the FIH World Rankings, will look forward to continuing the winning streak and improving their preparations before the FIH Pro League 2024–25 European leg starting in June. After a strong showing against the world No. 1 Netherlands in Bhubaneswar, the team held the Dutch team for a 2-2 draw, winning a bonus point. The team leaves the Pro League home leg on a high note going into the series.
Indian women's team drawing inspiration from recent win against Australia
The upcoming series is a great chance for the Indian women's hockey team to gain inspiration from the recent win against Australia. India won by a slim margin of 1-0 in their most recent encounter, which took place during the FIH Pro League 2023–24. India shocked the three-time Olympic winners 1-0 in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics quarterfinals to advance to the semifinals, demonstrating the two teams' intense rivalry. Australia won the shootout after the teams drew 1-1 in the regulation time of the 2022 Commonwealth Games semifinal.
Indian women’s team head coach Harendra Singh believes that the upcoming series against Australia can turn out to be a good practice ahead of the European leg of the Pro League. “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.”
