The Indian women’s hockey team will play the senior squad in their next three friendlies at the Perth Hockey Stadium on May 1st, after two games against the Australia A team. After losing both of their first matches against Australia A, India will be hoping to show improvement.

India put up a strong fight in the first game, but they were defeated 3-5 by the Australia A squad.

The winning team scored four goals in the first half to take an early lead. Despite doing a good job of lowering the deficit, India was unable to recover during the next two quarters. India’s goals came from Mahima Tete (27′), Navneet Kaur (45′), and Lalremsiami (50′), while Australia A’s goals came from Neasa Flynn (3′), Olivia Downes (9′), Ruby Harris (11′), Tatum Stewart (21′), and Kendra Fitzpatrick (44′).

India lost the second game by a slim margin of 2-3, which was regrettable. India scored the first goal this match via Jyoti Singh (13′), and Australia A responded with goals from Jamie-Lee Surha (52′), Evie Stansby (17′), and Dayle Dolkens (48′). Sunelita Toppo gave India its second goal in the 59th minute, but the visiting team was unable to equalize in time.

Over the following three games, India’s 26-man team, captained by Salima Tete and vice captain Navneet Kaur, will take against the senior Australian side in a more difficult encounter. India won 1-0 in the FIH Hockey Pro League 2023–24 the previous time the two teams faced each other, and they will try to get the same outcome.

“Aside from giving up a few soft goals in both games, which was disappointing, we have been very competitive,” main coach Harendra Singh said in reference to India’s performance so far in the trip. Since this is a test series, the experience is more important than winning or losing.

“Some players are playing for the first time after traveling from outside. He said, “I’m giving the kids an opportunity to play so they’re ready to be the next generation.”

Harendra also discussed the team’s approach to the next games. “After giving the majority of the players an opportunity to participate in the first two games, we will now test out the best player combinations. This is how we determine whether players are capable of competing in the next Pro League games in Europe, therefore I am looking forward to it. The new females should play at least 35 games before competing in the World Cup next year. We prepare for these competitions with that objective in mind.

“Everyone is giving their heart and there is healthy competition within the team,” the coach remarked while discussing his evaluation of the team’s young players. Mahima Tete is the only female who has captured my attention. She has a lot of promise and is nimble.

“The same goes for Ajmina, Pooja, Sujata, and any other young player. Everyone is putting in a lot of effort and learning. “Playing basic hockey and gaining experience against tough opponents like Australia is crucial,” he said.