Having gone through what went wrong at the Women's T20 World Cup 2024, Australia rebounded with a series clean sweep of India as they build towards a defence of their 50-over crown next year.
Australia outplayed India after two comfortable victories in Brisbane before finishing the series with an 83-run win in a topsy-turvy contest in oppressive conditions at the WACA in Perth.
Australia entered the ODI series with an unfamiliar bitter taste after their semi-final defeat to South Africa in the UAE. Underlining an increasingly cramped women's cricket calendar, the team and hierarchy did not get a chance to debrief due to the WBBL starting almost immediately after.
Once the WBBL ended, the squad assembled in Brisbane and had to dissect their failed bid for a fourth straight T20 World Cup title. "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," Ashleigh Gardner told reporters after the third ODI. "We reviewed that game [against South Africa] and then... we were just really positive on where this group can get to.
"And I think that's the most exciting thing, that anyone that comes into this group is excited to be here, really wants to be here, and just striving to be better every day."
Australia had numerous players step up across the series against India. Their wins in Brisbane were highlighted by debutant Georgia Voll's spectacular performances at the top of the order, while in Perth all-round efforts from Gardner and Annabel Sutherland overcame an Indian team mustering belated fight.
It was a welcome return to form for Gardner, who shrugged off her struggles in the WBBL with 50 off 64 balls after Australia had collapsed to 78 for 4. It was her first ODI half-century in almost 18 months and she backed up with the ball to claim career-best figures of 5 for 30.
"I felt it's one of those things... you feel really confident in the nets but then it doesn't replicate in the middle," Gardner said. "For me, I knew that I just had to spend a little bit of time out in the middle and I came in at a pretty tough time.
"I just love batting with Bells [Sutherland]. It's always really positive, just keep each other going in those moments and knowing that if we just got through that tough little phase... it would be fine. And I guess that's the messaging that I just tried to keep telling myself."
With Alyssa Healy on the sidelines for the entire series due to injury, Tahlia McGrath took the captaincy reins with the 27-year-old Gardner as her deputy. "I think T-Mac [McGrath] and I work really well together," she said. "We're obviously very different personalities, but I think we complement each other in that way as well.
"She's a very cool, calm person. And I guess what I challenged her with was to try and think outside the box. What I tried to throw to her was just different ideas at different points to get her mind ticking over."
Australia, however, did not submit a flawless performance in Perth having endured a ragged effort in the field marked by five dropped catches. It is an area they will hope to brush up quickly ahead of the three-match ODI series in New Zealand starting on December 19.
"We want to be the best fielding team in the world and that certainly wasn't on show tonight," Gardner said. "I think there were glimpses of brilliance, but then there's just those little moments where maybe it's a lapse of concentration.
"We do train really hard on our fielding but maybe it's just training under pressure more, and try to do some different drills."
Australia took precautions ahead of the New Zealand tour with Voll and Sophie Molineux leaving the field after diving efforts left them feeling ginger, while the fitness of Healy will continue to be monitored.
"Healy's coming away with us, we'll see how she goes. But she's progressing well, which is really pleasing," Gardner said. "I'm sure she'll be chomping at the bit to play that first game in New Zealand.
"The group's just really excited. It's a really cool little period. We're only over there for ten days before the Christmas break. I think it's going to really spur the team on to finish off what we've done here in this series.
"I think this group's in a really good place at the moment. We've been really successful in 50-over cricket. So it's just kind of going on to the next progression and that's obviously looking forward to the World Cup."