The Indian women’s hockey team suffered a hard-fought 2-1 loss to Australia in the first game of the four-match AUS vs IND 2026 series at the Perth Hockey Stadium on Tuesday.
The four-match IND vs AUS friendly series commenced on Tuesday and will end on Saturday.
Navneet Kaur gave India the lead but the hosts struck back through an Abby Wilson brace to win the match and take a 1-0 lead in the series.
India, ninth in the world hockey rankings, struck first in the opening quarter, with veteran striker Navneet Kaur converting a penalty corner to give her side an early lead.
The Indian defence remained resolute for much of the first half, successfully maintaining their advantage through the second quarter.
However, the momentum shifted in the second-half as world No. 8 Australia bounced back with Abby Wilson capitalising on two penalty-corner opportunities. She scored one each in the third and fourth quarters to secure a comeback win for the host nation.
India’s tour Down Under serves as important preparatory matches for India ahead of the FIH Hockey Women’s Nations Cup, scheduled to take place in Auckland from June 15 to 21.
The upcoming Nations Cup will be India’s opportunity to earn back promotion to the FIH Pro League for the 2026-27 season, which will also be a hockey qualifier for the LA 2028 Olympics.
The second match of the Australia vs India women’s hockey 2026 series will also be played at the same venue on Wednesday.
Salima Tete, a bronze medallist at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and the 2023 Asian Games, is leading the Indian side for the tour.
read more:https://www.olympics.com/en/news/india-women-hockey-team-vs-australia-tour-2026-match-1-report
