India-Australia hockey series likely to be a three Test affair

India and Australia will play before the Hockey World League Finals

India-Australia hockey Test series are always known to attract an extra dose of excitement irrespective of whether they are played in India or in Australia. The battle between the current world champions and one of the world’s most rapidly improving sides brings a no-holds-barred contest to the fore. Given this scenario, the 2015 India-Australia hockey Test series is sure to create a great deal of excitement among hockey fans of both countries.

Although there is no ‘official clarity’ about the dates of the much-hyped Test series, sources close to Hockey India suggest that the upcoming Test series will be a three Test affair and not a series comprising five or six Test series as initially planned.

It is learnt that the India-Australia hockey Test series will be played from November 20 to 23 in Raipur – which also hosts the 2015 Hockey World League Final Round a week later. Unconfirmed sources say the first Test will be played on November 20, followed by a rest day. Both teams then slug it out in back-to-back games on November 22 and 23.

“Initially, the idea was to have five or six Test series but to have so many games close to the the 2015 Hockey World League Final Round will be demanding on the players, so we zeroed in on three Test matches. We don’t want our players to be frazzled before the 2015 Hockey World League Final Round,” said a Hockey India source.

So, what was the line of thought to have back-to-back Tests as tentatively planned?

“International hockey has so many back-to-back games and it can be tough for most teams and I think the back-to-back games will help the team ahead of the the 2015 Hockey World League Final Round, where they will be playing two games in two days,” the source added.

Interestingly, Raipur has been chosen as a venue for the India-Australia hockey Test series to ensure players do not end up fatigued playing across different venues, which will mean a lot of travelling as well.

How about the Test series being held in October as thought out earlier? “Australia are busy in October playing in the Oceania Cup in New Zealand and so November was the feasible time to have this series, the source said.

Irrespective of whether how many matches are played, the 2015 India-Australia hockey Test series will grab the same eyeballs like it used to do when both teams square up in any international game.