India and Australia Gear Up for Intense Hockey Face-off Ahead of Asia Cup

The Indian men's hockey team is gearing up for the upcoming Asia Cup by heading to Australia for a friendly series in Perth. Scheduled from August 15 to 21, the series will see India, ranked eighth globally, face off against sixth-ranked Australia across four matches.

The Asia Cup, a key event to be held in Rajgir, Bihar from August 29 to September 7, offers a coveted spot for the FIH World Cup to its winner. Speaking on the significance of this preparatory series, India's chief coach Craig Fulton stated it provides an essential opportunity to test the squad against robust competition.

The tour will also serve as a platform for squad selection for the Asia Cup, with India looking to leverage past experiences and recent competitions to edge out their well-matched Australian counterparts in a historic rivalry that has seen Australia win 35 of the 51 encounters since 2013.

(With inputs from agencies.)