Sports News | Australia Tour Will Help Us Assess Where We Stand: Harendra
Get latest articles and stories on Sports at LatestLY. The challenging Australia tour, beginning Saturday, will help Indian women's hockey team assess where it stands, chief coach Harendra Singh said on Friday, adding that they will also experiment with combinations, keeping in mind important future assignments.
Perth, Apr 25 (PTI) The challenging Australia tour, beginning Saturday, will help Indian women's hockey team assess where it stands, chief coach Harendra Singh said on Friday, adding that they will also experiment with combinations, keeping in mind important future assignments.
The Salima Tete-led Indian team will clash with Australia 'A' in Perth on April 26 and 27, and take on the senior team on May 1, 3 and 4.
Australia have traditionally been strong rivals, winning 10 of the 16 matches played between the two sides, while drawing three.
Harendra is confident that the strenuous month-long training camp in Bengaluru had prepared the team well for the matches.
"The team has trained intensely during the camp in Bengaluru, and this tour will help us assess where we stand," said Harendra, who took over from Dutch Janneke Schopman following her resignation in the aftermath of the team's failure to qualify for the Paris Olympics.
The team will draw inspiration from its recent victory against powerhouse and world number one The Netherlands in the Pro League.
"Our focus is on giving players international exposure, building squad depth, and trying out combinations. Playing against Australia A and the senior Australian team in their home conditions will be a good learning experience and help us prepare for the important competitions coming up this year."
India had a mixed outing in the home leg of the Pro League recently where it registered two wins and a shootout victory against the Dutch, which earned them a bonus point.
With experienced midfielder Salima leading the 26-member squad, that also has prolific goal-scorer Navneet Kaur as her deputy, an interesting contest could be on the cards.
Rising drag-flicker Deepika, who impressed with three goals during the Pro League, too would be keen to continue her good form, while veteran goalkeeper Savita, who recently completed 300 international caps, will also provide solidity to the side.
The squad includes five new faces -– Jyoti Singh, Sujata Kujur, Ajmina Kujur, Pooja Yadav, and Mahima Tete –- who could make their senior team debuts in Australia.
"We are excited to be here in Perth. This is a great opportunity for us to gain valuable match exposure against strong opponents," said Salima.
"These matches will help us understand our team combinations better and test different strategies ahead of the Europe leg of the Pro League and the Women's Asia Cup later this year. All the players, especially the new faces, are eager to make the most of this experience," she added.
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)