The Indian women’s hockey team is set to embark on a challenging tour of Australia later this month, where it will play a five-match series from 26 April to 4 May. The tour includes two fixtures against Australia A, followed by three encounters against the senior national team, the world No.5-ranked Hockeyroos.
All matches are scheduled to take place at the Perth Hockey Stadium.
The Indian team, currently placed ninth in the FIH World Rankings, will begin the campaign with back-to-back matches against Australia A on 26 and 27 April. These will be followed by matches against the Hockeyroos on 1, 3 and 4 May.
The series comes at a crucial juncture for India as it prepares for the European leg of the FIH Pro League 2024–25, scheduled to commence in June. The Australian tour is expected to serve as vital match practice ahead of the demanding international fixtures ahead.
India enters the series buoyed by recent success on home soil. The team held world No.1 Netherlands to a 2-2 draw in Bhubaneswar, before claiming the bonus point in a thrilling shootout to conclude their home leg of the FIH Pro League on a high.
Reflecting on past performances, India has had notable moments of triumph against Australia, including their historic 1-0 win over the three-time Olympic champions in the quarterfinals of the Tokyo Olympics 2021.
Although the Hockeyroos edged out India in the 2022 Commonwealth Games semi-final via a shootout after a 1-1 draw in regular time, India had registered a 1-0 victory during their most recent meeting in the FIH Pro League 2023–24.
However, statistics favour Australia, who have won 10 of the 16 matches played between the two sides since 2013. India has claimed three victories, with the remaining three matches ending in stalemates.
Commenting on the upcoming series, Harendra Singh, Head Coach of the Indian Women’s Hockey Team, said, “This tour is an important step in our preparations for the European leg of the FIH Pro League. Playing against a strong side like Australia will test our players and give us valuable insights into where we stand. We've seen how this team can rise to the occasion, like we did against the Netherlands recently, and we want to build on that momentum.”
He added, “Our matches against Australia have always been competitive, and while they've had the edge historically, we've shown in recent years that we can go toe-to-toe with them. The team is motivated and working hard in camp to fine-tune key aspects of our game before we head to Perth.”
The Indian players are currently participating in an intensive training camp at the Sports Authority of India facility in Bengaluru, sharpening strategies and improving team cohesion ahead of their departure for Australia.
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