India Women emerged victorious in the first ODI of the ongoing three-match series against Ireland Women at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot. With a commanding six-wicket win, India took a 1-0 lead in the series.
IRELAND'S BATTING STRUGGLES:
Ireland captain Gaby Lewis won the toss and opted to bat first, a decision that quickly backfired. The Irish top-order crumbled under pressure, losing four wickets for just 58 runs inside the first 14 overs.
The downfall began when Titas Sadhu dismissed Sarah Forbes for just nine runs. No. 3 batter Una Raymond-Hoey was out for 3 after a mix-up with Lewis led to a run-out. Richa Ghosh stumped Orla Prendergast for 9, and the very next ball saw Priya Mishra bowl Laura Delany for a golden duck.
Ireland's batting woes continued, but Gaby Lewis fought back, forming a resilient 117-run partnership for the fifth wicket with Leah Paul, who top-scored with 59 runs. Lewis herself played a captain’s knock, facing 129 balls and scoring 92 runs, including 15 boundaries. Despite their efforts, Ireland managed to post a total of 238/7 in their full 50 overs.
Priya Mishra was the pick of the Indian bowlers with 2/56 in nine overs, while Deepti Sharma, Titas Sadhu, and debutant Sayali Satghare each picked up a wicket.
INDIA'S CONFIDENT CHASE:
In response, India’s chase began on a strong note. Stand-in captain Smriti Mandhana played an aggressive knock, while Pratika Rawal anchored the innings from the other end. India reached 50 runs in just the eighth over.
Mandhana was dismissed for 41 off 29 balls, caught off a top-edged slog-sweep by Freya Sargent. Harleen Deol and Rawal continued to build the innings, taking India past the 100-run mark. However, Harleen Deol fell soon after.
Jemimah Rodrigues' stumping for 9 left India in a spot of bother, but Tejal Hasabnis and Rawal steadied the ship. Rawal brought up her half-century off 69 balls, and Hasabnis followed suit with her first-ever ODI half-century.
Hasabnis’ steady accumulation of runs helped raise the tempo of the chase, inspiring Rawal to push towards a ton. Though she fell for 89 runs, India remained on track. Richa Ghosh sealed the win with back-to-back boundaries, guiding India to a six-wicket victory in just 34.3 overs.
IRELAND’S BOWLING EFFORTS:
Aimee Maguire was the most successful bowler for Ireland, claiming 3/57 in eight overs, while Freya Sargent took 1/38. However, the rest of the Irish bowlers struggled to make an impact, with four others failing to take a wicket.
PLAYING XIS:
India:
Smriti Mandhana (C), Pratika Rawal, Harleen Deol, Jemimah Rodrigues, Tejal Hasabnis, Richa Ghosh (WK), Deepti Sharma, Sayali Satghare, Saima Thakor, Priya Mishra, Titas Sadhu
Ireland:
Sarah Forbes, Gaby Lewis (C), Una Raymond-Hoey, Orla Prendergast, Laura Delany, Leah Paul, Coulter Reilly (WK), Arlene Kelly, Georgina Dempsey, Freya Sargent, Aimee Maguire
