New Delhi, May 28 (IANS) The Indian Women’s Hockey Team departed from Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport for Amsterdam on Wednesday, for the European leg of the FIH Pro League 2024-25.

The team will train in Amsterdam, Netherlands, until June 8 before heading to London, UK, for their first four matches against Australia and Argentina. India will take on the Australian women’s team on June 14 and 15, followed by matches against the Argentine women’s team on June 17 and 18.

Subsequently, the team will travel to Antwerp on June 19 for their next two matches against the Belgium National Team, scheduled for June 21 and 22. They will conclude the European leg with two matches against China on June 28 and 29 in Berlin, Germany.

Ahead of their departure, Captain Salima Tete highlighted the significance of the tour, stating, “This is a very crucial leg of the FIH Pro League for us, as we will be facing four very strong teams. We’ve already played a test match against Australia earlier this year, and we’ll further fine-tune our strategy in Amsterdam before our matches against the Hockeyroos and others.”

Vice-captain Navneet Kaur echoed Salima’s thoughts, adding, “We know we have some tough games ahead, but the team is confident after our performance in the Bhubaneswar leg of the Pro League. We’re determined to go all out and collect valuable points in Europe.”

India will look to build on their February momentum, when they held world No. 1 Netherlands to a 2-2 draw and earned a bonus point in the shootout in Bhubaneswar. Earlier this month, the team also tested new combinations in Perth, Australia, during five friendly matches against Australia A and the Hockeyroos.

India are currently placed in sixth position in the FIH Pro League 2024-25 points table with nine points from eight matches. Defending champions The Netherlands lead the standings with 19 points from eight matches, while Belgium are second with 17 points, followed by China on 16 points. Spain (14) and Argentina 14) are fourth and fifth, respectively, separated by goal difference.

–IANS

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