Tahlia McGrath: 'Leadership has pushed me out of my comfort zone'

This is your second WPL season. How has the experience been?
It's been wonderful, a really cool vibe. We've been able to build on the relationships from last year. It's surreal to be playing in front of crowds like these. There's so much hype around us. When we came back after our first win two nights ago, all the hotel staff lined up to applaud us back in. There was cake and a big party waiting. The young Indian players are always wanting to learn from you. It's been wonderful.

A change from Mumbai too…?
Absolutely! Loving Bangalore. It's my fifth time in India and the first time outside Mumbai. There are some really nice cafes. Love my coffee. I've found a few good coffee spots and nice places to eat. I've been soaking in the culture. This is the most I've got out and explored in India.

Who have you got to know better?
I'm really enjoying spending time with Sophie Ecclestone. We spent some time in Lancashire, so it's cool to be team-mates with her. England and Australia have this big rivalry in sport, so it's nice to be friendly for a change (laughs). I've also enjoyed my chats with Shweta [Sehrawat] and Anjali [Sarvani]. It's a cool group, the younger lot is full of questions and always wants to keep getting better.

Have they taught you some Hindi?
They've tried to make me dance [to Bollywood music]. That's something I'm not very good at and shy about.

How would you look back on your journey so far? Lucky to have had the pathways we have in Australia, coming through the ranks from Under-12 in South Australia. My goal was to play football for the Matildas [the Australia women's football team], but I realised around 16 that I was a little bit better at cricket so focused fully on that.

Did you have a Plan B if cricket didn't work out?
When I was growing up, education was really important for us [as a family]. My parents were pretty keen for me to take it seriously. I have a teaching degree. It takes pressure off me, like, if I have a serious injury or [am] not part of the set-up. It takes the stress out of a lot of things. Hopefully, I'll not need it.

Have you had to carry books and assignments while on tour?
Luckily, I got it done before cricket really took off, in a sense. Else with the workload I have now, it would've been very difficult to juggle. I finished my teaching degree in 2019-20. Still done nothing with it (laughs), but it's okay. Took me six years to complete the four-year degree.

You were recently promoted to Australia vice-captaincy. How has it sat with you?
Captaincy and leadership has pushed me out of my comfort zone. I've grown as a player and person. The more you do it, the better you get. My overall outlook on the game, my communication, my ability to build relationships with team-mates have got way better.

What's the one big change you see in women's cricket back home now?
When I was growing up, cricket wasn't overly accessible to women and girls. There weren't clear pathways and opportunities. The cool thing now is it's so clear and we're so visible for young girls coming through. While it wasn't a defining moment personally for me, but the T20 World Cup final at the MCG with 88,000 people in attendance is the one that put women's cricket on the map and made it clear that if you want to have a crack at cricket, this is how you do it.

You had a series of injuries early in your career. Did that phase change something in you?
It changed the way I think about the game. Everything was cricket then - I couldn't switch off. Now because we play and travel so much, when I'm not at training or matches, I've learnt to do things outside the game. It can be all the more challenging when you've had a not-so-good day, because cricket is a mental game. It's got its highs and lows but it's about trying to keep the same routines whether I'm doing well or not. I was out of the game for three years. My mindset went from putting pressure and having high expectations of myself to emphasising on the enjoyment factor, whether at training or matches. It made a massive difference on the field.

Was there a specific point at which this clicked?
South Australia nominated me for a mentorship programme on leadership with Belinda Clark. That probably was the biggest turning point. There were lots of conversations, zoom meetings, homework tests - the biggest learning was getting out of my comfort zone. It was daunting and made me uncomfortable at the time, but I grew so much [in terms of] confidence, as a person and player, quickly. It was massive. Helped my overall confidence in general too.

What makes the Australia women's team everyone's envy?
It's a mindset thing. We push each other. We always want to get better. We challenge each other at training, which in turn has raised the standards. We're never satisfied with how far we've come. The quest to get better comes from looking inward. I just love being part of that set-up.