A hundred days out from Australia’s day-night Test against India at the WACA Ground, Beth Mooney’s reflections capture both admiration and anticipation. The left-handed opener, currently in Perth Scorchers colours in Women’s Big Bash League 11, believes India has evolved into one of the most balanced and consistent sides in world cricket, a sentiment that carries extra weight after India’s historic triumph in the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup 2025.
Under Harmanpreet Kaur’s leadership and Amol Muzumdar’s coaching direction, India lifted their maiden ODI World Cup title, beating South Africa by 52 runs in the final at Navi Mumbai’s DY Patil Stadium on November 2.
India’s stunning march to their first ICC crown was fueled by composure and collective purpose. Jemimah Rodrigues’ unbeaten 127 off 134 balls against Australia in the semi-final turned the world’s gaze squarely toward India’s batting depth and belief. Supported by Kaur’s 89 off 88 balls, that partnership (167 runs for the 3rd wicket) went a long way in sealing a record chase of 339, eliminating Alyssa Healy’s Australia and scripting one of the greatest ODI upsets in recent memory
As Mooney acknowledged this week in Melbourne, marking 100 days to the WACA Test, “The scary thing about India now is they’ve been a little bit settled for a while with their selection calls and things like that. It looks like they’ve got a pretty good style of play in all formats of the game.”
Mooney’s remarks echo the growing sentiment that India’s structure and stability are beginning to reflect in their success in recent times. This newfound consistency, mirrored by the same core that powered India’s WPL rise, has transformed them from hopeful challengers into genuine global contenders.
The multi-format series from February 15 to March 9, 2026, comprising three T20Is and three ODIs, culminating in the WACA Test, is poised to be one of the marquee events on women’s cricket’s global calendar. Not only does it arrive after India’s World Cup victory, but it also serves as Australia’s first major outing since realigning their focus post-semi-final heartbreak.
“It’ll be an epic contest across all formats, and ending in a Test match at the WACA, which is really exciting,” Mooney said. “(The World Cup) didn’t pan out how we wanted in that semi-final, but we’re still playing a great brand of cricket in the 50-over format and have found our way again in T20s.”
For India, the Perth Test carries additional historical weight; they have yet to win a Test on Australian soil. Australia, meanwhile, find themselves unusually vulnerable, having been knocked out early in both 2024 World Cups, T20 and ODI, and dethroned as holders in both formats for the first time in a decade.
Amid that context of transition, Mooney sees the WACA Test as a platform for renewal. “It’s a really great opportunity to get some players in and sort of blood them into the Australian team,” she said. With players like left-arm quick Lucy Hamilton and WA’s Chloe Ainsworth touted for potential debuts, Mooney believes the Test could bridge generations.
She also praised the rich seam of emerging talent on display in WBBL 11: “There’s plenty of young players out there who’ve been playing some unbelievable cricket this Big Bash. I don’t like to put too much pressure on them, but there’s certainly plenty out there pushing for selection, especially for that Test match.”
Australia’s immediate horizon includes just six T20Is before the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 in England and Wales (June 12–July 5). “It’s a little bit of a weird one, knowing that we’ve only got six T20 internationals to play between now and our first T20 World Cup game,” Mooney admitted. Yet she sounded optimistic about the squad’s evolution.
“We’ve moved along pretty nicely with our style of play in that format across the last 18 months. I’m really excited to see what we go within those six T20s leading into that World Cup, and hopefully we can get a bit of a settled line-up and maybe some fresh faces in as well.”
For fans, the India-Australia rivalry has seldom been richer in plotlines, India basking in the glow of a defining triumph, and Australia readying for a measured rebuild with fresh talent and renewed purpose. As both teams prepare for their next chapter, the upcoming multi-format series, which concludes with the Perth Test, looms as more than a contest between bat and ball; it’s a reflection of two cricketing empires charting different yet intersecting trajectories.
(Quotes sourced from cricket.com.au)
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