Pinch-hitting Harris relishing her middle order role

Grace Harris has been all too happy to shrug off the 'specialist fielder' tag on this T20I tour of India, as she relishes the chance to show off just how damaging she can be in Australia's middle order.

The powerful Queenslander was denied a bat in the first game of the series and missed the second through illness, but returned with a bang in the third match, hammering a career-best 41 off 18 deliveries coming in at No.6.

She backed it up a game later with 27no off 12 balls, sharing in key partnerships with Ellyse Perry – who hit career best knocks of 75 and 72no herself – in both games.

When combined with Ashleigh Gardner's 27-ball 42 in the fourth T20I, Australia's middle-order have sent an ominous warning ahead of the upcoming T20 World Cup.

Harris returned to Australia's T20I XI in January for the first time since 2016, but wet weather and strong top-order form meant she was not required to bat (or bowl) in any of her first five matches back in the green and gold.

That prompted jokes about her role as a specialist fielder, but since finally walking to the middle in the opening Commonwealth Games match against India in Birmingham in late July, Harris has rarely missed.

That first innings saw her hammer 37 off 20 to help rescue Australia from a dire position alongside Gardner – form she has continued in her two most recent outings against the same opposition.

"I'm taking on the challenge of being the floating pinch hitter or the power at the end within this Australian line-up, because breaking into the top four is going to be fairly hard over the next 12 months, but whatever opportunity I get to break the specialist field tag, I take," Harris told The Scoop podcast from Mumbai on Monday.

Image Id: 93040D56742542BE93CB1678990B8CF4 Image Caption: Grace Harris hit a career best in the third T20

"Lately, the only thing I've thought is 'yes, I get an actual bat today' ... and just really embracing the crowds and the noise that's around and just the general buzz of the games, playing international cricket."

The right-hander has likewise embraced the freedom that comes with her pinch-hitting, finishing role lower down the Australian order, which is in contrast to her top-four role with Brisbane Heat in the Weber WBBL.

"You definitely have to think fairly clearly on how you're attacking the bowler," she said.

"The scenarios that I've walked out with, there's been a set batter in Ellyse Perry and she's always a fantastic wealth of knowledge when I'm out in the middle.

"It's more about definitely taking the positive mindset of scoring runs, and (knowing) where I'm going to do it and I'm going to beat them by doing this.

"I've definitely enjoyed the conditions for batting (in Mumbai) – small boundaries, fast outfield, even wicket, what more could you ask for as a batter? It's been fantastic.

"One challenge that I was looking forward to coming over here was how the wickets play and what their bowlers do differently to us.

"They're a lot slower in the air, they're a lot slower generally, spin and pace.

"It's just a good learning experience for myself and for the other girls that had never been to India before."

A spot at the top of the order has opened for the final T20I in Mumbai following Alyssa Healy's calf injury, and Harris is one of a strong cohort of candidates for the position.

She has opened in the past for the Heat, while Phoebe Litchfield, Tahlia McGrath and Ellyse Perry have also performed the role for their respective WBBL sides.

"I'm not going to lie, I've been tempted to send Shell a few messages just in the past 24 hours (to say), 'I'm free, I've batted with Moons before as an opener, any chance?'" Harris laughed.

"(But) I haven't yet made my case, I've just been thinking maybe they're just picking me for this (middle-order) role so I've got to embrace this role.

"If I was more established in the team, I definitely would have already sent a few messages away just to buzz around their ears maybe and get them thinking.

"(But) I'm very clear on the role that I need to play here and at the moment I'm just doing that and trying to appreciate the fact that I get to play and not taking it for granted or overthinking the game as I normally do."

Harris's maiden trip to India has been a long time coming.

She was originally due to be part of Australia's 2016 T20 World Cup squad but was forced to withdraw shortly before the group's departure for India after developing deep vein thrombosis.

Her most recent brush with illness curtailed some of her plans for adventure in Mumbai, but Harris this week joined forces with another keen explorer in Amanda-Jade Wellington to hit up local markets to tick off some Christmas shopping and visit the Gate of India.

She has also relished the large and boisterous crowds that have turned out to see India's women play in front of crowds on home soil for the first time in 2019.

"I've loved the atmosphere over here, I've loved the banter from the sidelines ... you can't even talk to your mate next to you, because it's that loud. It's been great," she said.

"When I hit a six, I don't exactly get the roar of the crowd that Harmanpreet Kaur does, which I'm disappointed about ... but it's been fantastic. It's been a good contest."

Australia's T20I tour of India

1st T20I: Australia won by nine wickets

2nd T20I: Match tied (India won the Super Over)

3rd T20I: Australia won by 21 runs

4th T20I: Australia won by seven runs

5th T20I: December 20, Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai (Dec 21, 12.30am AEDT)

Australia squad: Alyssa Healy (c), Tahlia McGrath (vc), Darcie Brown, Nicola Carey, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Heather Graham, Grace Harris, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Amanda-Jade Wellington

India squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana (vc), Shafali Verma, Yastika Bhatia, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Radha Yadav, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Renuka Singh Thakur, Meghna Singh, Anjali Sarvani, Devika Vaidya, S Meghana, Richa Ghosh, Harleen Deol