India Women produced a comprehensive performance in the first ODI against Ireland Women in Rajkot. They went 1-0 up in the three-match series. While their fielding wasn’t up to the mark, they were clinical with both bat and ball.
It is the first-ever bilateral series between India Women and Ireland Women. The latter didn’t get off to the best of starts. They won the toss and opted to bat first on a good batting track. Smriti Mandhana stepped in as captain after Harmanpreet Kaur was rested. Sayali Satghare made her ODI debut and opened the bowling alongside Titas Sadhu.
Satghare didn’t have the best of starts as she was hit for three boundaries in her opening over. Ireland got 27 runs in the first four overs before Sadhu got the first breakthrough for India. Sarah Forbes edged to first slip where Deepti Sharma took a straightforward catch.
Una Raymond-Hoey was runout in the 9th over and Ireland were reduced to 34/2. After a brisk start, they lost steam in the back half of the powerplay. Debutant Satghare recovered well after an expensive first over and conceded only nine runs in four overs.
Sadhu was excellent as she had figures of 5-1-16-1 in her first spell. Priya Mishra struck twice in two balls in her second over. The 20-year-old leg-spinner had Orla Prendergast stumped before he knocked over Laura Delany through the gate with a superb wrong’un.
That’s when skipper Gaby Lewis who was batting on 24 joined forces with Leah Paul to stage a fighting partnership. The duo added 117 runs for the 5th wicket to help Ireland get back on track. Ireland went past the 100-run mark in the 26th over before they got 31 runs in the four overs after that to get some momentum.
Skipper Lewis got to her 11th ODI fifty in that period. Paul was dropped in the 33rd over on 46 by Smriti Mandhana who couldn’t hold onto a catch running back from mid-on. Saima Thakor was the unlucky bowler. Paul was dropped again on 59 at deep mid-wicket by Sadhu. But that didn’t cost India much as the 25-year-old left-hander was runout in the following over.
A mix-up between Paul and Lewis cost the former her wickets as she was out for 59. Teh 117-run stand was broken and India got an opening. Lewis batted on solidly and was looking set for a big score before Deepti dismissed her in the 90s.
Arlene Kelly played a useful cameo and scored 28 off 25 balls. Satghare got her maiden ODI wicket in the final over as she had Kelly LBW. Ireland scored 39 runs in the last five overs which pushed their total to 237. India will rue their poor fielding which cost them some extra runs.
India get off to a flier before young guns Pratika Rawal, Tejal Hasabnis guide them home
Chasing a bit under five runs per over, Smriti Mandhana and Pratika Rawal got off to an excellent start. Both batters struck a flurry of boundaries and put on 70 runs in the powerplay. The stand-in Indian captain hit six fours along with one six and raced to 41 before off-spinner Freya Sargent got rid of her. Mandhana top-edged a slog-sweep and holed out at mid-on.
Things slowed down after the left-handed opener’s dismissal. India got just 30 runs in eight overs after the powerplay. But Harleen Deol and Rawal looked solid before the former threw it away and holed out to mid-off. Left-arm spinner Aimee Maguire got the breakthrough for Ireland.
She struck once again in her following over as Jemimah Rodrigues was stumped. The latter got a couple of boundaries early in her innings before she was out for 9. Ireland may have had an opening when they had India at 116/3 in the 21st over.
But Indian youngsters Pratika Rawal and Tejal Hasabnis ensured there were no further hiccups. The duo shared a brilliant 116-run stand for the 4th wicket. Rawal and Hasabnis rotated strike well and struck timely boundaries. They scored at a good rate as well.
A 10-ball over from Orla Prendergast where she conceded 22 runs helped India go past the 150-run mark in the 24th over. Rawal got to her 2nd ODI half-century in the following over. A flurry of boundaries saw Hasabnis get to her maiden ODI fifty.
Just when it seemed like the two young guns would take India home, Rawal fell on 89 and Maguire got her third wicket. The 4th wicket partnership which was worth 116 came in just 13.3 overs. Richa Ghosh walked in and hit a couple of boundaries to wrap up the chase.
India reached the target with more than 15 overs to spare to go 1-0 up in the series. Rawal was awarded the player of the match for her 89.
BRIEF SCORES: Ireland Women 238/7 (Gaby Lewis 92, Leah Paul 59, Arlene Kelly 28, Priya Mishra 2/56, Deepti Sharma 1/41, Sayali Satghare 1/43) lost to India Women 241/4 (Pratika Rawal 89, Tejal Hasabnis 53*, Smriti Mandhana 41, Aimee Maguire 3/57, Freya Sargent 1/38) by six wickets.
