As part of their preparations for next year’s Olympic Games, India will compete against New Zealand in a six-match hockey Test series from October 2 to 11 in Auckland, Nelson and Christchurch.
“While India will play the first two matches against the New Zealand A team the last four matches will be played against New Zealand senior men team,” Hockey Indian said in a statement.
For India, the Tour will be in preparation for the all-important FIH Hockey World league Final to be held in Raipur later this year, followed by the Rio Olympics slated in 2016. New Zealand, on the other hand, will seek to prepare for the upcoming Oceania Cup wherein a win there would confirm a berth in Rio Olympics.
After a successful Europe Tour in August, where India defeated France and Spain, the Indian team is upbeat. Indian players are going through training in New Delhi and getting ready for the series.
In June 2015, New Zealand playing in the FIH Hockey World league Semi-Final in Argentina finished sixth after a loss against Canada in the quarter-final match.
With another defeat against Spain in 5th-6th Classification Match, New Zealand missed the opportunity to qualify for the Rio Olympics. However, New Zealand still has a chance to qualify for Olympics if they win the 2015 Oceania Cup.