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The Indian men’s national hockey team will take on New Zealand in a six-match test series from October 2nd to 11th in Auckland, Nelson and Christchurch. According to a statement from Hockey India, the Indian team will first play two matches against the New Zealand ‘A’ team as warm-ups for the last four against the New Zealand senior men’s team.
The series will act as preparation for the crucial FIH Hockey World League Finals to be held in Raipur between 27 November and 6 December 2015. All of these tournaments are of course aimed at the Rio Olympics in 2016. India have qualified for the all-important tournament via the Hockey World League Semi-Finals that took place in Buenos Aires and Antwerp between June and July.
The Indian team are very optimistic after the recently concluded European tour, where they beat Spain and France, and are looking forward to extend their current run of fine form. The team is currently undergoing a rigorous training camp in New Delhi.
For New Zealand, this tour will be a valuable primer for the decisive Oceania Cup, where a win would qualify them for the Rio Olympics. The Black Sticks were denied an Olympic berth by Spain in the 5th/6th place match of the Hockey World League Semi-Finals in Argentina, earlier this year. They also came up short against Canada in the preceding match, which was a quarter-final.
New Zealand’s only window to qualify for next year’s Olympics is the Oceania Cup, which they will host in the end of October. That fact amplifies the importance of this tour, as it will be an invaluable opportunity to whip themselves into good shape.
Secretary General of Hockey India, Mohammad Mushtaque Ahmad emphasized the importance of these preparatory tours, “The series was planned keeping in mind the upcoming important tournaments that are lined up for the Indian team. Series like this will help our team to understand the continuing changing game style of the opposition and this helps us to further work on our strategies. The team is very excited and are looking forward to continue their good form in the series.”
Hockey New Zealand Chief Executive Malcolm Harris echoed his Indian counterpart’s thoughts, “It provides the Black Sticks Men with some strong competition ahead of the important Oceania Cup in Stratford from 21-25 October. We are very excited about this upcoming series – it’s the first time since 2009 that India Men have toured New Zealand. Our fans can’t wait to welcome India – it’s a great chance for Kiwis to see world-class hockey here in New Zealand.”
