India Short of 3–5 vs Australia 'A' in Tour Opener Despite Late Rally

PERTH, April 26, 2025 — The Indian women's national hockey team began their Australian tour on a disappointing note with a 3–5 defeat to a talented Australia 'A' side at Perth Hockey Stadium on Saturday. Behind 0–4, India showed grit, narrowing the margin with goals from Mahima Tete (27'), Navneet Kaur (45'), and Lalremsiami (50').

Australia 'A' established an early tone for domination, featuring goals from Neasa Flynn (3'), Olivia Downes (9'), Ruby Harris (11'), and Tatum Stewart (21') to build a formidable lead. Kendra Fitzpatrick added a fifth goal in the third quarter. India's late rally was testament to their resilience, but the hosts clung on to their advantage to win the game.

As a mark of solidarity, the Indian squad donned black armbands in order to pay respect to the Pahalgam victims. They plan to maintain this gesture throughout the tour.

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India will try to level the series in the second match versus Australia 'A' on Sunday, April 27, at 13:40 IST.