Tahlia takes the legacy of Oz forward

With the veteran all-rounder Perry, McGrath keeps the visitors in the game as the one-off Test enters final day

- KALYANI MANGALE

AT the North Sydney Oval in 2017, affectionately called Ellyse Perry Oval by fans, the namesake was in fine touch. England had no answers for the Test match specialist. When brought up her 150 in the first-ever Pink Ball Test, there was no huge celebration. Just acknowledgment of the crowd and then pat on the shoulders of her batting partner, Tahlia McGrath, amidst the chants of 'there is only one Ellyse Perry' from the Richies, Australia's loud and proud cricket supporters.

They were right then and even when there were not many Australian fans at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on day three of the one-off Test against India, many would agree that 'There is still only one Ellyse Perry. However, her batting partner from the 2017 Ashes is getting closer to the stature Perry has achieved, at least in the longest format of the game.

Usually, the conversations about filling the shoes of big players come at the end of their innings, but for Perry, it started.