Leadership suits Tahlia McGrath. She, along with Alyssa Healy, form the new leadership core of the Australian women’s cricket team, which embodies the vibrant confidence the Aussies have become synonymous with over the years.
Going into a Test match against India after watching a merciless mauling of Heather Knight’s England at the hands of the host, McGrath is the smile on the face of a team licking its lips to go up against an opponent who will challenge them through and through.
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Acclimatising to Mumbai
“It’s been tricky. I’ve never played here (at the Wankhede Stadium) before,” McGrath told reporters in the run-up to the lone Test which gets underway on Thursday.
“All the stats and data we’re going off aren’t really from women’s cricket. We played a trial game out here too (vs a Mumbai XI on Monday). We’re lucky that we’re getting used to these conditions. The last few days of training have been very challenging, but we love the challenge. It’s so much fun out there. It’s a completely new style of cricket we’re having to play, and we can’t wait to get out there,” she said.
A team of leaders
Compare this McGrath to the one who burst onto the scene half a decade ago, and the two are as different as chalk and cheese. It’s a difference McGrath is quite proud to acknowledge.
“If you’d asked me a few years ago if I had leadership on my radar, I was not even close. I was always the shy, quiet one who didn’t have much to say. Few coaches saw a few qualities in me that I didn’t, and from there, I got a few opportunities to lead sides,” the 28-year-old explained.
Aussie legend Belinda Clark also had a role to play in her evolution as a leader. Clark’s programme, The Leadership Playground, was a novel effort by Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers Association to mould new generation leaders in the Aussie set-up. The country’s way of cricket acknowledges the need for leaders to not be restricted to those with armbands.
Leading the side is no new proposition for this duo with Healy stepping in as captain for 10 T20Is, 1 Test (a Test they won, the first in eight years), and three ODIs. McGrath has led the side in one T20I vs India in December 2022.
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“The biggest strength of this Australian side is that it’s not just Midge (Healy) and I that are leaders. There are so many leaders within the group. People speak up when something needs to be said and take one for the team when needed,” McGrath pointed out.
That said, following a hit show like Meg Lanning is no mean task and certainly not an enviable place to be in.
“You can’t replace Meg Lanning. Her stats as a player and captain speak for themselves. That said, I think this is the perfect tour for us in India, where you spend so much time together as a team. We can form the team together and put our own spin on it. We were in interim roles for the last 12 months but with our roles becoming full-time, there’s a different feel to it,” she said.
“My biggest thing now is to help out Midge wherever I can. Being captain of an international side is a massive role so I am trying to take some of the pressure off her and be her sounding board,” McGrath added.
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Thrill of the unknown
Much was made of the pitch in the Test between India and England, with English batters left flummoxed by the turn and seam assistance and their inability to read the conditions right. England’s body language had seeped into drooped shoulders and tired faces by the end of the first day, with the side buckling under the heat and humidity of Navi Mumbai even in relatively forgiving winter months. Australia has the luxury of review and time at the venue where they will head out to play.
“We’ve been training on them on a fair bit, and the pitches are really tired, and they’re turning and keeping low. That’s the perfect prep for us for what could potentially be the case in the second innings. In terms of reading the wicket, there’s still a lot that could happen between now and Thursday. So we’ve had a quick look at it, but it’s so unknown. So that comes down to being flexible and adapting to what the conditions present,” McGrath explained.
She highlights planning as the weapon of choice against the dominant host.
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“Test match cricket is all about 20 wickets, and India was able to do that[against England]. Our plan is to try to combat that. The key about batting in India is to be very clear about your plan and how you intend to play out the conditions,” McGrath said.
Having an all-rounder-heavy side might be the perfect way to counter a side as on-song as India, with all eyes on the smarts of Ashleigh Gardner, in particular.
“Every side in the world wishes they had an Ash Gardner. It’s her leadership as well. She’s got a fair workload with the ball, but she likes that. She’s the kind of bowler who wants the ball in her hand. It’s a tough choice for Midge because she has so many bowling options. We feel we can combat anything we need to. That we have so many allrounders, gives us a lot of flexibility in that final XI,” she added.
Making hay when the sun shines
Australia heads into its 78th Test match and is no stranger to the demands of red-ball cricket, being one of barely a handful of nations to play the format relatively regularly (that being once in a year or two). That said, this side waits for an opportunity to don the whites and baggy green.
“I love the transition. T20 cricket is so hectic. When you’re batting, you’re trying to hit every ball for six. When you’re bowling, they’re trying to hit you for six every ball. This has been nice, to almost take a step back and be very calm in our approach with bat and ball and almost go to work. It’s been so much fun with a complete shift in mindset and preparation and I’ve loved it. T20 cricket is so hectic, and Test matches don’t come around too often, and when they do, we’re so excited to play. We’re raring to go on Thursday,” McGrath said.
Each time women’s teams play Tests, conversations revolve around what the powers that be can do to make the fixtures more frequent. McGrath however, would like the focus to be on getting more countries to take to red-ball cricket, with the rest following naturally.
“Trying to find the balance of how many Tests to play is tricky and perhaps a bit past me. I’d like to see more nations play Test cricket. For a long time, it was just England and Australia. This is our second one against India, and we have one against South Africa next year. The more nations playing Tests, the better,” she said.
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