The Indian Men’s Hockey Team are all set to travel to Australia for a preparatory tour for the upcoming FIH World Cup in January next year. The tournament will start on 13th January and continued till 29th January with Bhubaneswar and Rourkela hosting the event. However, the Indian tema will be looking to play against one of the strongest teams in hockey, Australia and mend their weaknesses ahead of the biggest event.
Star player Harmanpreet Singh believes that this Australia tour will allow the Men in Blue to assess their strengths and weaknesses and where they stand against some of the World’s best talents. A 23-man squad has travelled Down Under and are scheduled to play a five match series which will start on 26th November in Adelaide.
“I think this is a great opportunity for us to test ourselves and the level we are at ahead of the World Cup. Australia is one of the top contenders for the title, and playing against them will definitely help us in the lead up to the tournament,” Harmanpreet, who will lead the side in Australia, said in a Hockey India release.
India have done reasonably well in major events starting from winning the bronze medal and ending the Olympic curse in Tokyo or to win the silver at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games. Their Hockey pro League performances have not been too shabby either.
“I think we haven’t gone back to Australia after the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in 2018. As a team, we are excited and happy to play in Australia which offers unique playing conditions,” Harmanpreet added. India will play consecutive matches on November 26 & 27 and then again on November 30 and final two matches on December 3 & 4.
Australia is not an opponent that the Indian team enjoys facing especially in recent times. The Aussies simply humiliated the Indians in the finals of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham as they scored 7 goals unanswered. It was a brutal smacking of Graham Reid and his men as they collected the silver medal with their shoulders dropped down. So it will be a tough test for the Indian team and if they play well they can carry that confidence to the World Cup back home.
“These matches will be a true test of our fitness levels. Every game will be high in intensity and will draw focus on recovery process after each game. Every player will be looking to bring his ‘A’ game against Australia ahead of the final team selection for the World Cup,” defender Amit Rohidas highlighted.
