Australia Women coach Matthew Mott believes India are the 'sleeping giant in women's cricket'

Mott, who has been coaching Australia since 2015, was all praise for the No. 3 side in the MRF Tyres ICC Women's ODI Team Rankings, and said that India have some world-class players in their line-up.

"They're the sleeping giant in women's cricket," Mott told cricket.com.au. "They've got a country that's mad on the game, and in their batting, they've already got three or four world-class players. The depth in their batting is outstanding, their bowling's got potential as well, and their fielding has improved out of sight."

India have enjoyed great success in the women's game, ever since the team finished runners-up in the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2017, with crowd interest and support steadily growing.

"They're going to be a force in world cricket," Mott said. "Having made that World Cup final (in 2017), and they've got a country of a billion people behind them as well, they're going to be a huge force."

The cricket boards of both countries have an agreement to have their A sides play once every year, and Mott said such a structure is necessary for the development of young and upcoming players.

"It's absolutely critical," he said. "If you're going to create a genuine pathway, you've got to give players an opportunity to develop, particularly overseas.

"You don't know how players are going to cope with the extra stress and demand of touring unless they've done it. And it's a huge part of being an international player, adapting to different cultures and venues, travel and play, [those factors] can sort very good players out from the greats."

Australia A toured India A in October last year. India A will make the journey Down Under in December this year.