Why Tahlia McGrath is Not Playing Today in AUS W vs IND W T20I 2026?

The Australia women's cricket team is facing India in the second T20I of the ongoing series. After losing the first match in a surprising manner, Australia women will be looking to make a comeback here at Canberra.
India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur won the toss and elected to bowl first. There have been no changes change in the playing XI of the Australian team for the AUS-W vs IND-W 2nd T20I, which means that the star all-rounder Tahlia McGrath is left out once again.

Why Tahlia McGrath is Not Playing Today in AUS-W vs IND-W 2nd T20I?

Tahlia McGrath is also the vice-captain of this team and it was shocking to see her exclusion from the team for the second straight match. However, the Australian team management is trying out some new combinations ahead of the Women's T20 World Cup 2026, which is set to be played in England.

Another main reason behind Tahlia McGrath being benched could be her recent form and performance in the ODI World Cup 2025. McGrath had an average of only 13.75 in the tournament, which might have prompted the management to drop her. Nicola Carey can be confirmed as Tahlia McGrath replacement, and she was preferred due to her excellent performance in the WPL recently.

Tahlia McGrath has an excellent T20I record as she has scored 1138 runs in 56 matches at an average of 42.14 and a strike rate of 133. Despite getting dropped, she firmly stays in contention for Australia's squad for the Women's T20 World Cup 2026.

Tahlia McGrath Snubbed from Australia's Captaincy

McGrath has been crucial to Australia's success over the last few years. Regarded as one of the best women cricketers in the world, she remained the deputy of Alyssa Healy for a long time.

She was expected to be Australia women's captain after Healy gave up the spot following the team's failure to win the World Cup 2026. However, the selectors made a surprise decision to appoint Sophie Molineux as the next captain of Australia, mainly due to McGrath's recent form.

However, she is still the vice-captain of the team and remains in the leadership group. Given her experience, she will be key to Australia's chances in the upcoming ICC tournaments as they aim to stamp their authority once again.