NEW DELHI: Ashleigh Gardner showed her disappointment after missing out on the Australia captaincy saying she cares deeply about the team but insisted her desire to lead is still strong.
The all-rounder was seen as the favorite to take over from Alyssa Healy after her retirement last month. Instead, Cricket Australia chose Sophie Molineux in a surprise move. Gardner was named joint vice-captain with Tahlia McGrath, who has led the team 15 times before.
Before the India series, Gardner acknowledged that the decision hurt, but only because of her commitment to the group.
“You kind of have this defence mechanism where if you don't get it you don't want to be so disappointed that you can't move on, ” Gardner told ESPNcricinfo. “So, for me, it was like making sure that if I got it, amazing. If I didn't, that's okay. Obviously when I got the news that I didn't get it, there was certainly disappointment there of course.