What are the key focus areas for coach Khandker on the junior women's Australia tour?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Identifying improvement areas is crucial for the team’s development.
- The tour provides international exposure against strong teams.
- Previous experiences from the European tour have informed their current preparation.
- Training in Bangalore has been pivotal for their readiness.
- This tour is an essential step toward the FIH Junior Women’s World Cup 2025.
Canberra, Sep 25 (NationPress) As the Indian Junior Women’s hockey team prepares for their five-match tour in Australia, set to take place at the National Hockey Centre in Canberra from September 26 to October 2, head coach Tushar Khandker emphasized that the primary objective during this tour is to identify key areas for improvement ahead of the FIH Junior Women's World Cup 2025.
This tour is an invaluable opportunity for the young Indian squad, enabling them to test their skills in international settings against robust opponents. Previously, the team embarked on a similar tour in Europe in June, where they competed against Belgium, Australia, and the Netherlands in five matches. India showcased their strength by winning against Belgium three times consecutively, achieving a victory against Australia, and narrowly losing to the Netherlands in a shootout.
Reflecting on the team's recent European tour, coach Tushar Khandker stated, "Following our last tour, we focused on enhancing our structural play and individual technical skills. We've analyzed those matches over the past three months, and collectively, we've made significant progress. I believe that in these upcoming five games, we will be able to demonstrate our improvements and learning outcomes."
Discussing preparations for the Australia series, Tushar Khandker remarked, "Our training camp in Bangalore has been productive. Our preparations for the upcoming World Cup are progressing well, and we are here in Australia to engage in competitive matches. The aim of this tour is to pinpoint the areas we genuinely need to enhance and to test our capabilities before the World Cup."
The young squad will face the Australia Junior Women’s Team in their first three matches on September 26, 27, and 29, followed by two fixtures against the Canberra Chill, a club in Australia’s premier Hockey One League, on September 30 and October 2.
Leading the team is Captain Jyoti Singh along with coach Tushar Khandker, as they approach this critical series of matches in preparation for the Junior World Cup, scheduled for December in Santiago, Chile.