India, Oct. 1 -- Defending champions Australia got their Women's ODI World Cup campaign rolling with an 89-run win over New Zealand in their first outing in Indore on Wednesday.

It wasn't smooth going at the start for Australia as their trans-Tasman rivals reduced the innings to 128/5. However, the seasoned Ashleigh Gardner, 28, took charge and showed off her batting prowess, hitting a superb 83-ball 115 (16x4, 1x6) which proved the cornerstone of Australia's victory.

Riding on Gardner's century, Australia put up 326, their highest total against New Zealand, after Alyssa Healy had elected to bat. In reply, NZ were led by a fighting knock of their own but it wasn't enough as they were dismissed for 237 runs in 43.2 overs.

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