The Indian men’s hockey team will visit Australia for the four -match series to be held in Perth from August 15 to 21 as part of the upcoming Asia Cup preparations. The Indian team, ranked eighth in the world rankings, will face the Australia team, ranked sixth on 15, 16, 19 and 21 August. All matches will be played in Perth.

At the same time, the Asia Cup is to be held from 29 August to 7 September in Rajgir, Bihar. The winner of this continental competition will directly qualify for the next year’s FIH World Cup.

In a statement released by Hockey India, India’s head coach Craig Fulton said, “The tour is taking place at a significant time before the Hero Asia Cup to be held in Bihar. Even though it is a friendly series, playing against a strong team like Australia will give us a good chance to test ourselves.

Recently, both teams faced face to face in the FIH Pro League in Europe in which Australia defeated India 3–2 in both stages. India had won 3–2 over Australia at the Paris Olympics last year. Australia has won 35 out of the 51 matches played between these two teams since 2013. India has won nine times, while seven matches have been drawn.