The Indian men’s hockey team will tour Australia in November-December to play a five-match ‘Test series’.
The Indians, currently ranked fifth, will face world number one Australian players in five matches from November 26 to December 4 at the Met Stadium in Adelaide.
The second, third and fourth matches will be played on November 27, November 30 and December 3.
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This will be the first time the two sides will face off after beating up Kookaburras. India For the gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in August.
Five-match ‘Test series’ will be invaluable for both sides in preparation for 2023 men World The Cup is to be held in Odisha in January next year.
The Indian women’s team will also play a series of matches against Australian women in May next year, the dates for which are yet to be confirmed.
A senior national Indian hockey team has not played in Australia since the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast.
Hockey Australia CEO David Priles said in a statement: “Since the time we have extended the prospect of hosting these matches in Adelaide, the South Australian Government has shown great enthusiasm and eagerness to host these series, so we are planning to host these series in South Australia. Glad to have it.” ,
“Australia and India have developed a fierce rivalry on the hockey pitch in recent times. With Adelaide having a large and vibrant Indian population, there is no doubt that this series will be a hot ticket to capture and attract huge crowds,” he said.
Highly decorated Kookaburras co-captain Eddie Oakenden will make his 400th international appearance in the series. The 35-year-old is currently in 398 matches.
The Indian men’s team is currently coached by Australian and former Kookaburra Graham Reid. They will reach Australia after playing back-to-back double-headers against Spain and New Zealand in the FIH Hockey Pro League 2022-2023 season in Bhubaneswar.
“This is a great opportunity for both the Indian men’s and women’s team as these matches will serve as an ideal preparation ground ahead of marquee events like the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup Bhubaneswar-Rourkela 2023 and next year’s Asian Games, the newly elected hockey team. India President Dilip Tirkey said.
“Playing against a world class team like Australia will prove beneficial for both our men’s and women’s hockey teams. I wish him all the best and thank Hockey Australia for organizing these Test matches.
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