Player of the Series in the multi-format series between India and Australia in 2021, Tahlia McGrath is certainly the future of women's cricket. Tahlia McGrath made her International debut in 2016 but was dropped shortly. She has played some fine knocks for Adelaide Strikers in the women's big bash league but it was the county stint in England which shaped her as a player.
In the absence of Megan Schutt and Jess Jonassen, Australia were struggling a little bit to find players for the key roles. Star all rounderEllyse Perry was also coming back into the fold after a long time and was not at her best.
In such a situation, Australia found a gem in Tahlia McGrath who made valuable contributions throughout the 3 ODIs, 3 T20s and the one-off test match against India and ended up being player of the series.
In essence, it was McGrath who proved to be the difference between the two sides. Had she not been part of the Australian setup, India would have won the series in all likelihood. That was the impact that the all rounder had throughout the seven matches of the series.
Below, Tahila McGrath expresses her process while being in the middle with exceptional clarity of thought.
"Coach Matthew Mott made the comment before I went out that this is your opportunity, you haven't really had a good crack at it. So I just had to keep us as close to the run rate as possible so left with no choice but to play like that and luckily it came off. For me it's about being brave in my ability and that's something, again, that the Australian team is really good at, making sure that you are fearless and back yourself. It's believing in my ability and showcasing what I can do."
"Experience is pretty valuable and I've played a lot of cricket - not so much at this top level - so I was backing myself that it was just another game. We were really calm, really clear about what we needed to do. We have so much belief in the squad that no matter who is at the wicket we can do a job."
McGrath is in the same mould as Ellyse Perry and is the future of not only Australian cricket but women's cricket in general.
