The Indian women's hockey team will embark on a four-match series in Australia from May 21 to June 3 as part of its preparations for the upcoming Nation's Cup in New Zealand. This tournament serves as a pathway to the elite FIH Pro League. The FIH Hockey Women's Nations Cup is scheduled to take place from June 15 to 21 in Auckland.
India will face Australia in all four matches at the Perth Hockey Stadium. A win in the tournament is crucial for India to regain entry in the Pro League after being relegated last year.
The first two matches are scheduled for May 26 and 27, with the remaining two games set for May 29 and 30. Following the Australian tour, the team will travel to New Zealand to continue its preparations ahead of the Nations Cup.
The Indian women's team has been training intensively at the national camp in SAI Bengaluru, focusing on improving key areas ahead of a packed international calendar. The team will also undergo a specialised drag-flick training clinic under Dutch legend Taeke Taekema from May 26 till June 21 in Perth and Auckland.
Indian women's team chief coach Sjoerd Marijne expressed his enthusiasm for the tour, stating, 'We have seen what the benchmark is when we played Argentina, we can now test how close we are to reach the level of our last two wins and maintain the momentum.'
