New Delhi, Nov 11 (IANS): Indian men's hockey captain Sardar Singh said on the team's return home from Australia Tuesday that the 3-1 series win Down Under will act as a motivation for them ahead of the prestigious Champions Trophy.

India achieved a rare bilateral Test series victory against World Champions Australia, that too in their backyard, and are now gearing up for the Champions Trophy which will be held in Bhubaneswar Dec 6-14.

"I am extremely happy with the way our team has performed in the entire series and there could be no better gift to my completion of 200 international caps than this momentary win," said Sardar Singh.

"This will act as a motivation for the boys to give a better performance in the upcoming Champions Trophy. I am confident that the boys will perform well in the upcoming tournament."

Congratulating the team, Hockey India (HI) secretary general Md. Mushtaque Ahmad said: “India had a good game against Australia in the Test series which is a good sign of confidence and control."

"Also, Sardar’s achievement of completing 200 international caps has added glory to the win. I look forward and feel the team is all ready to take up more challenges and deliver even better results in the Champions Trophy which is our next focus.”