Highlight
- This series will be played from 26 November to 4 December.
- All matches will be played at the Met Stadium in Adelaide.
- Highly decorated Kookaburras co-captain Eddie Oakenden will make his 400th international appearance.
The Indian men’s hockey team will take on the world number one Australian team in a five-match ‘Test series’ in November-December.
The series will be played from 26 November to 4 December at the Met Stadium in Adelaide. All matches will be played at the same venue. The second, third and fourth matches will be played on November 27, November 30 and December 3.
This will be the first time the two sides will meet since Kookaburras defeated India for the gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in August.
The five-match ‘Test series’ will be invaluable for both sides in preparation for the 2023 Men’s World Cup 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.
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Hockey Australia CEO David Priles said in a statement: “From the time we have looked forward to hosting these matches in Adelaide, the South Australian government has shown great enthusiasm and eagerness to host, so we are going 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 passionate Indian population, there is no doubt that the series is a hotbed to capture and attract scintillating crowds. will be the ticket,” he added.
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 preparatory ground ahead of marquee events like the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup Bhubaneswar-Rourkela 2023 and next year’s Asian Games,” said the newly- Elected President of Hockey India Dilip Tirkey said.
“Playing against a world class team like Australia will prove beneficial to both our men’s and women’s hockey teams,” Tirkey said in a Hockey Australia statement. I wish them all the best and thank Hockey Australia for organizing these Test matches. “
series schedule
- Match 1 – November 26 – 4.00 pm local time
- Match 2 – November 27 – 4.00 pm local time
- Match 3 – November 30 – 6.30 pm local time
- Match 4 – December 3 – 4.00 pm local time
- Match 5 – December 4 – 4.00 pm local time
(Inputs PTI)