Women’s team looks to get combination right vs Oz

The Indian women’s hockey team will field its “best combinations” and look to fix some defensive frailties in the three-match Test series against Australia starting here on Thursday with head coach Harendra Singh hoping to identify his core group for the FIH Pro League matches in June.

After opening the tour with back-to-back losses to the Australia A side, India will be eager to bounce back with a stronger performance.

“In the first two games, most of the players have had a chance to play and now we will try out the best combinations among players,” coach Harendra said. “I am looking forward to this because this is how we identify the players who can compete in the forthcoming Pro League matches in Europe. Before going to the World Cup next year, the new girls should play a minimum of 35 matches. That is the goal we keep in mind while preparing for such tournaments,” he added.

India lost 3-5 and 2-3 against Australia A. Despite the results, the coach was upbeat about the team’s effort. “In both matches, we conceded some soft goals which was disheartening, but apart from that, we have been very competitive. This is a test series so it is not about winning or losing, it is about the experience,” the coach said.