Australian all-rounder Ashleigh Gardnerhas predicted the Indian women's cricket team to be a force to reckon with in the future. India whitewashed Sri Lanka during their recent five-match T20I series following a title triumph in the Women's World Cup.

Apart from complimenting the brand of cricket India played, Gardner expressed happiness for the rapid growth and increasing popularity of cricket in the region.

"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. 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," stated Gardner.

However, Gardner was quick to point out that Australia remain the team to beat when it comes to world cricket. She concluded by reflecting on how the co-hosts of the recent Women's World Cup defeated them convincingly in the semi-final stage.

"Not denying that I still think we're the best team in the world. World Cups showcase your win in those high-pressure moments. If we played any team ten times in a row, I would say that we're probably going to win eight or nine times.

That might sound really cocky, but I just believe that we are the best team in the world still. It was a pretty hard defeat playing against a very good side. We know how damaging India can be and we got challenged throughout," she added.

India will be touring Australia for an all-format series across February and March after the conclusion of the upcoming Women's Premier League.

The series will have three T20Is and ODIs each as well as a one-off Test, which will be played at the Perth Stadium from March 6. The four-day day-night match is set to be an exciting one and it will be interesting as to how the series will pan out.