Women’s cricket has undergone a visible shift over the last year, with new champions emerging and traditional hierarchies being challenged. Yet, if Ashleigh Gardner is to be believed, the balance of power at the top has not truly changed.
Despite Australia currently holding none of the major white-ball world titles, the star all-rounder insists the reigning benchmark of women’s cricket remains firmly Australian. Speaking ahead of the highly anticipated multi-format series against India, Gardner struck a tone of calm conviction rather than defensiveness. Australia may have been dethroned as ODI world champions by Harmanpreet Kaur’s India earlier this year, but Gardner believes results in isolation do not define the quality of a side.
“We’ve certainly been put under pressure recently,” she acknowledged, before adding pointedly, “But I can still sit here confidently saying that we are the best team in the world.”
A Rare Trophy Drought, Not a Decline
For the first time in more than seven years, Australia enter a season without a single global white-ball trophy to their name. Their semi-final exit against South Africa at the 2024 T20 World Cup and the crushing defeat to India in the 2025 ODI World Cup semi-final marked an unfamiliar narrative for a team accustomed to closing out major tournaments.
Yet Gardner views this period less as a decline and more as a reminder of how fine the margins are at the highest level. She points to Australia’s broader body of work, noting that over the last 12 to 18 months, the side has lost only two or three matches and those defeats came at the knockout stage. “It shows the consistency of the group,” she said, underlining that sustained excellence, rather than silverware alone, remains the true indicator of dominance.
In Gardner’s assessment, Australia’s challenge has not been technical or tactical, but situational. The inability to execute during decisive passages what she describes as “small moments” has cost them when it mattered most. For a team that has long thrived under pressure, that admission reflects a rare moment of introspection.
India’s Rise and a Renewed Rivalry
The upcoming home series against India adds an extra layer of significance to this phase of Australia’s journey. India arrive not as challengers but as reigning ODI world champions, buoyed by the confidence of lifting their maiden 50-over title on home soil. It is a role reversal Gardner is fully aware of.
Read Articles Without Ads On Your IndiaSportsHub App. Download Now And Stay Updated
She was quick to acknowledge the quality of the opposition, noting that India have “played some really good cricket recently” and had already pushed Australia hard in bilateral contests leading up to the World Cup. The growth of India’s women’s team both in depth and belief has been one of the most defining developments in the global game.
However, Gardner also believes conditions will play a decisive role. While India have mastered the slower, turning pitches of the subcontinent, Australia’s faster surfaces and consistent bounce pose a different challenge. It is an environment Australian players understand instinctively, and one Gardner feels could help restore their edge in this rivalry.
A Series That Tests Every Format
The India tour of Australia in February 2026 is structured to examine every aspect of the game. Three T20 Internationals will test adaptability, power-hitting, and tactical flexibility. The three-match ODI series carries added context after the World Cup, offering Australia an immediate opportunity to respond in the format they recently lost global supremacy in.
Read Articles Without Ads On Your IndiaSportsHub App. Download Now And Stay Updated
The tour concludes with a one-off Test match, still a rarity in the women’s game but one that Gardner values deeply. For Australia, Test cricket has long been a source of pride and dominance, built on patience, discipline, and depth—qualities that Gardner believes still define the team’s identity.
Beyond skills and conditions, Gardner has identified mindset as the final piece Australia must rediscover. She admitted that in recent World Cup semi-finals, the team occasionally made “the wrong decisions” under intense pressure an uncharacteristic flaw for a side renowned for composure.
As they prepare to host the world champions, Australia’s focus is firmly on psychological sharpness. The aim is not to reinvent their game, but to ensure that when the next defining moment arrives, they respond with clarity rather than hesitation.
Read Articles Without Ads On Your IndiaSportsHub App. Download Now And Stay Updated
Australia may no longer hold the trophies, but in Gardner’s view, the standards, systems, and belief that built their era of dominance remain intact. The upcoming series against India is not just about reclaiming bragging rights it is about reaffirming that the gold standard of women’s cricket has not shifted as much as recent results might suggest.
