Women’s hockey: India look to get combination right against Australia

Perth: 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,”

chief coach Harendra Singh said in a press release issued by Hockey India.

“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.