Mumbai, Jan 06: Gujarat Giants captain Ashleigh Gardner feels Australia are still the best team in the world although India after their iconic 2025 Women's World Cup title will be very hard to defeat in the coming years.
Gardner was speaking on the sidelines of the Giants' season-opening PC.
"India's going to be one of those teams in the next five to ten years that are going to be very hard to beat," said Gardner, who would be turning up for Gujarat Giants in the Women's Premier League starting January 9.
"It's an exciting prospect, it's scary as an Australian, but I guess knowing that the game is growing so quickly and rapidly over here, it's fantastic to see."
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Strongest squad assembled, says skipper
“Yeah, I mean we have a fantastic squad this year, which obviously, going into the mega auction, we knew that we needed to have. I guess, create a team that could lift the trophy at the end, and I certainly think that we’ve done that. It’s the strongest squad that we’ve ever had within the four years, so I guess for us it’s being able to nail down the things that we’re really good at, making sure that we’re really clear in our approach, which thankfully we’ve got quite a few of the same players from across the years, so I guess it makes it a little easier,” she added.
Renuka Singh Thakur adds depth to pace attack
The Australian also backed the presence of India Women pacer Renuka Singh Thakur in the squad. “Yeah, I think having an experienced Indian fast bowler is something that we haven’t had. Renuka’s played for India for quite a long time, so I’ve had the privilege of playing against her quite a lot, and it’ll be nice to have her on my team this year, knowing that her skill set, she’s obviously a wicket-taker, bowling in the powerplay, and I guess bowling those hard overs. So, I guess knowing that I’ve got someone that I can throw the ball to at the start, and someone that I’ve got faith in, certainly helps,” Gardner added.
Australian mindset to bring composure
Gardner felt her Australian mindset would add value to the team’s fortunes this season. “We have this certain mentality that we live by, but I just think the way that we play our cricket, we have a lot of belief in our environment. So knowing that you have that, I guess gives this calmness and composure when we’re out on the field, knowing that we can win from any position. Like I said on stage earlier, we’ve been challenged a lot recently, and it’s making sure that we stick to what we’re really good at, and focusing on why we’ve won so many trophies in the past,” she added.
World Cup semi-final loss still hurts
Talking about trophies, Gardner was asked about the epic Women’s World Cup semi-final defeat to India at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, and she expressed her disappointment.
“I’m sick of talking about it, to be honest, but yeah, it’s obviously fantastic for Indian cricket. It was really frustrating as an Australian to lose to them in the semi-final, but I think in terms of growing the game globally, it’s an amazing opportunity for cricket to grow. It was kind of scripted perfectly for India to play in a home World Cup and ultimately to win it. Obviously, I’ve been fortunate enough to play in a home World Cup and to win it as well, so I know the satisfaction that it brings and I guess how much the game has grown since, and it’s certainly only going to go from strength to strength here in this country. We know how much Indian people love cricket, so to actually have a lot of role models who are females to be leading that as well is super important,” she added.
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