I’m just trying to cash in when I can and free myself up – Grace Harris

Grace Harris flipped the odds emphatically in RCB’s favour with another masterclass against her former WPL team, UP Warriorz. First with the ball, she claimed a couple of crucial wickets in the form of Harleen Deol and Chloe Tryon. Then with the bat, she almost single-handedly took the game away with a 37-ball-75, smashing 13 fours and two sixes.

Winning the Player of the Match award, Harris opened up on playing the role of an all-rounder in the game against the UP Warriorz. She also revealed that she was working on a handful of changes and it worked out for her alright. She concluded with a note about her chemistry with Smriti Mandhana as the opening partnership between Grace and the RCB skipper took the game away from UPW in a flash.

Shedding light on the win and the feeling with which she batted out in the center against UP, Grace added, “I’m just really glad to be classified as an all-rounder for this game. I was pretty happy when Smriti said, “You’re going to get on next over,” and I thought, yes, I get to bowl today. With the batting, we’ve been working on a few things, and I’m happy I’ve gone back to some older patterns. It seems to be working. I’m feeling a bit more free, not thinking too much, and that’s made a big difference.”

Explaining the technical revisions to her overall approach, Grace added, “Mainly my head position, along with a few small technical tweaks. Tactically, it’s about where I can set up to best access certain bowlers. But I can’t overthink that, so I’ve gone back to being freer. That’s allowed me to access more areas of the ground and not worry too much about the one ball that might get me out.”

She further added, “We do go through the tactical side - whether to play from the crease or step out - based on the spinner and the conditions on the day. Right now, I’m trying not to overthink it again, and I think that’s helped. I’m fairly powerful, so I’m lucky to be in a position where I can back my best shot to clear the boundary. I’m just trying to cash in when I can and free myself up.”

Grace concluded by talking about her partnership with Smriti Mandhana, stating, “Yeah, I think when we glove-tap, I’m probably the one using all the oxygen with the talking. She’s very composed, knows her own game, and just lets me say whatever I need to. She helps refocus me for the next ball using my own keywords, gives me a little heads-up on what the bowlers might do and where I could hit it. And after that - well, let’s see what happens.”