Bengaluru, May 21 (IANS) The Indian women’s hockey team, led by Salima Tete, has departed for their crucial tour of Australia on Thursday, where the team is scheduled to play four matches against the hosts on May 26, 27, 29, and 30 at the Perth Hockey Stadium.

The tour will offer a series of competitive matches, giving the Indian women’s hockey team an opportunity to test themselves against one of the best teams in the world.

Following the conclusion of the Australia tour, the team will travel to Auckland, New Zealand, for the FIH Hockey Nations Cup 2026, scheduled to take place from June 15 to 21.

Captain Salima expressed confidence in the group ahead of the tour and said that the upcoming matches against Australia would serve as a crucial stepping stone.

“The entire squad is really looking forward to this tour. Playing against Australia, especially on their home turf, is always a tough challenge, and that is exactly the kind of challenge we need at this stage of our preparations, with crucial international tournaments coming up later this year,” Salima said in a statement released by Hockey India.

“We have had an intense training camp over the past few weeks, during which we worked hard on our fitness, combinations, and tactical shape. I feel the team has come together really well, and the matches in Perth will give us a chance to put everything we have worked on into practice against one of the best sides in the world,” she added.

With the FIH Hockey Women’s Nations Cup 2026 firmly on the horizon, followed by the World Cup and the Asian Games, Salima underlined the importance of the Australia tour ahead of a crucial period for India.

“Every match in Perth will be crucial for us. We want to head into the Nations Cup in Auckland with momentum and confidence. Australia will push us to our limits, and we want to use that to become a stronger, more cohesive unit.

“The Nations Cup itself will be another important marker for us as we build towards the Asian Games and the World Cup. We want to peak at the right time, and these tournaments are all stepping stones towards that,” Salima concluded.

–IANS

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