Indian Men's Hockey Team to take on Australia before HWL finals

Indian Men's Hockey team are all set to play a test series against Australia before heading into the Hero Hockey World League (HWL) Finals.

Speaking on his side's upcoming series, captain Sardar Singh said, "We are glad that the tournaments are happening in our backyard it will give us more time to get used to the pitch and home support will also be a big factor. The boys are positive and enthusiastic and are looking forward to playing in both the tournaments."

"We are excited to be in Raipur. The team has been together for more than a month at the camp in Bengaluru and have been showing good results in the practice sessions. The coaching staff has been working really hard along with the team and the test series against Australia will set the pattern for the Hero Hockey World League Finals. We wish to put up a good show in front of the home crowd," Director and Chief Coach, Roelant Oltmans said.

India will play first match against Australia on November 19 in Rajnandgaon followed by two consecutive matches at Raipur on November 22 and November 23.

The HWL Final 2015 will immediately follow the test series with the world's top eight teams meeting each other for the last time before the Rio Olympics next year.