Aran Zalewski: Looking forward to playing against India away from home

The Indian Men's Hockey Team will take on Australia in the FIH Hockey Pro League on 21st and 22nd February 2020 

After bouncing back from two defeats against Belgium with two victories over Great Britain in the second edition of the FIH Hockey Pro League, the World No. 2 Australia has arrived in India and their captain Aran Zalewski is looking to utilize the upcoming matches as a preparation for the Tokyo Olympics. 

Australia will face the Indian Men's Hockey Team in two gruelling encounters, which will take place on 21st and 22nd February at the Kalinga Hockey Stadium in Bhubaneshwar.

"I think it serves us as good preparation to be facing India away from home in this important Olympic year. The Indian team has also done well so far, so we're looking forward to playing them here.”, said Zalewski.

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The Midfielder said, “We also have a week to prepare for the matches, so we're hoping we can acclimatize with the conditions and put up a strong show on the weekend."

With two wins from four matches, the Australian team are currently at the fifth place in the points table with six points while the Indian Men's Hockey Team, who have won three out of four matches are currently at the third place in the points table with eight points. 

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 The Defending Champions' Coach Colin Batch commented on playing at the Kalinga Stadium. He said, "We're delighted to be back here in Bhubaneswar to face the Indian team. It's been a mixed start for us in the Pro League so far, but we're hoping to face a tough fight against the hosts. Also looking forward to playing in a noisy, full crowd at the Kalinga Stadium."

 Both the matches will be broadcasted on Star Sports 1 and Star Sports HD1 from 7:00 PM IST. It will be available to stream on Hotstar and Jio TV as well.