Annabel Sutherland scored 110 off 95 balls and Gardner snared a career-best 5-30 to go with 50 with the bat as Australia crushed India by 83 runs at the WACA Ground on Wednesday night.Â
The first Aussie woman to score an ODI ton from No.5 or lower! 👊 — cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) #AUSvIND Full highlights: https://t.co/lwGZViDqLJ pic.twitter.com/9tzDBq281EDecember 11, 2024
The ODI games against India were Australia's first matches since suffering a shock semi-final exit at the hands of South Africa at the T20 women's World Cup in October.
Australia head to New Zealand next week for a three-match ODI tour, before returning home for a blockbuster Ashes series against England in January.
All three of Australia's ODI wins against India were comprehensive in what Gardner views as proof of the way the players embraced the challenge of bouncing back from the T20 World Cup disappointment.
"This is the first time the group's come back together since the World Cup loss, so we were all in really high spirits coming into this series," Gardner said.Â
"To come away 3-0 pretty comfortably throughout this series is just a testament to where this team's at.Â
"Obviously we've been in every T20 final up until that point, and I think it was just a really good touch point for our group to realise the things that we weren't doing as well as probably what we could have.Â
"South Africa outplayed us and we reviewed that game, and then when we came back, we were just really positive on where this group can get to.Â
"What we've seen in this series is that people have stood up at different times and people have made hundreds, people have taken five-fors.
"So I think this group's in a really good place at the moment."
Skipper Alyssa Healy is on track to return in the ODI series against New Zealand. (Dan Himbrechts/AAP PHOTOS)
One aspect Australia need to put some extra focus into is their fielding, with the team dropping five catches against India on Wednesday.
The 40C heat in Perth probably played a factor in the lapses in concentration, but Gardner says it's still an area that needs improving.
"We want to be the best fielding team in the world, and that certainly wasn't on show," Gardner said.
"We do train really hard in our fielding, but maybe it's just training under pressure more, and you can't necessarily replicate fielding in a game without the game being there.Â
"So it's one of those tough ones where the coaches and players just need to show some initiative to try and do some different drills, or some high pressure moments."
Captain Alyssa Healy missed the entire series against India due to a knee injury, but she's on track to return for the three-match ODI series against NZ in Wellington, which gets underway on December 19.
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