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After a month-long senior national training camp, the Indian women's team is set to be tested in a five-match series from April 26 to May 4 against Australia. India will first face the Australia A side on April 26 and 27, and later face the challenge of World No. 5, the Australian Senior team, on May 1, 2, and 4 at the Perth Hockey Stadium.
The Indian team last played in the FIH Hockey Pro League (Women) at home, where they had a mixed bag of performances, with two wins and a shootout win after eight matches were played. In their last game, they concluded their campaign on a confident note, defeating World No. 1, the Netherlands, by clinching the bonus point in a thrilling shootout after a 2-2 draw over the four quarters. Coach Harendra Singh has named a 26-member squad for the series, with Captain Salima Tete and Vice Captain Navneet Kaur leading the side. Young dragflicking sensation Deepika has been in incredible form as she scored three crucial goals in India's FIH Hockey Pro League matches in February and will be looking to build on her scoring streak. In the same tournament, Udita Singh scored two goals and played exceptionally in defence, over the four matches she featured in for India. The spotlight will also be on veteran goalkeeper Savita, who continues to be a rock wall for India and recently completed her 300th international cap for India. Apart from the existing core players, five players - Jyoti Singh, Sujata Kujur, Ajmina Kujur, Pooja Yadav, and Mahima Tete - have earned a call-up to the senior team and could be making their senior team debut in Australia. Australia have consistently been a formidable opponent for India throughout its history. Although out of the 16 matches played between the two sides, Australia have won ten and drawn three, India have recently done well against them. India won their last encounter 1-0 in the FIH Hockey Pro League 2023-24 and will be hoping to continue the trend. Ahead of the five-match series, Captain Salima Tete said, as quoted from Hockey India, "We are excited to play here in Perth and we believe we are well-prepared to win matches against Australia. All the girls have been working extremely hard and we will give it our all against both the Australia A and the senior team. I am also looking forward to seeing how the young players and debutants in our squad will perform. This series is a good chance for us to assess our performance ahead of the FIH Pro League matches coming ahead in Europe." Harendra Singh, Chief Coach of the Indian Women's Hockey Team, spoke along similar lines and stated, "The girls have worked extremely hard in the month-long training camp we had in Bengaluru. I believe this squad is capable of defeating any opponent and we are determined to win matches in this series. Playing Australia in their home is surely a challenging task, but we are up for it." (ANI)
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