India Women secured a six-wicket win over Ireland Women in the first match of the three-game ODI series at the SCA Stadium in Rajkot. After an average bowling effort from the hosts, Pratika Rawal and Tejal Hasabnis delivered brilliant performances with the bat to breeze past the target of 239 in just 34.3 overs.
India began their chase with a strong opening stand between Smriti Mandhana and Pratika. The pair added 70 runs before Mandhana (41 off 29) fell to Freya Sargent, attempting a slog sweep against the spin.
Harleen Deol looked in good touch during her 20, but played a loose shot to Aimee Maguire. She misjudged the delivery, resulting in a mishit that Orla Prendergast caught easily. Jemimah Rodrigues followed soon after, falling to a clever delivery that deceived her in flight and turn, leading to a stumping by the Irish wicketkeeper.
Tejal then stepped up and seized the opportunity. She reached her maiden ODI fifty in just 43 balls. Meanwhile, Pratika continued to score steadily, bringing up her second ODI half-century. Together, they built a crucial 116-run partnership off just 84 balls. Pratika fell for 89, attempting big shots to finish the game quickly. Tejal, however, remained unbeaten on 53.
Gaby Lewis, the Ireland captain, had won the toss and chosen to bat first. In Harmanpreet Kaur’s absence, India’s stand-in skipper Mandhana confirmed Sayali Satghare’s debut. For Ireland, Lewis opened the innings with Sarah Forbes. They made a steady start, reaching 27 runs in four overs before Titas Sadhu dismissed Forbes.
Una Raymond-Hoey came in at No. 3, but was run out after a miscommunication. Priya Mishra then made an impact, taking two quick wickets to remove Orla Prendergast and Laura Delany.
Lewis and Leah Paul steadied the innings with a 117-run partnership for the fifth wicket. Paul reached her seventh ODI fifty but was run out for 59 in another unfortunate mix-up. Lewis kept the scoreboard ticking but fell just eight runs short of a well-deserved century. She was caught and bowled by Deepti Sharma, playing what seemed like a tired shot.
Arlene Kelly added a crucial 28 off 25 balls to help Ireland post 238 for 7 in their 50 overs. It was a commendable effort to bat through, though the eventually target proved to be comfortably within India’s reach.
For India, Priya was the standout bowler, taking 2 for 56 in her nine overs. Deepti, Sayali, and Titas picked up a wicket each.
Brief Score: India 241/4 in 34.3 overs (Pratika Rawal 89, Tejal Hasabnis 53*, Aimee Maguire 3/57) beat Ireland 238/7 in 50 overs (Gaby Lewis 92, Priya Mishra 2/56) by six wickets.
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