India's Six-Wicket Victory Over Ireland in First ODI Thanks to Pratika Rawal's Brilliant Innings

India's Six-Wicket Victory Over Ireland in First ODI Thanks to Pratika Rawal's Brilliant Innings

Rajkot, January 10, 2025 – India Women's team secured an easy six-wicket victory over Ireland in the first match of the three-match ODI series, with splendid half-centuries from Pratika Rawal and Tejal Hasabnis. This win gave India a 1-0 lead in the series.

Pratika Rawal exhibited maturity beyond her experience, helping the team chase down the target of 239 runs. After stand-in captain Smriti Mandhana's brisk 41-run innings, Rawal played a career-best knock of 89 runs off 96 balls. Tejal Hasabnis, who last played an ODI against New Zealand in October 2024, made an unbeaten 53 in her comeback match, marking her first half-century.

Rawal and Hasabnis shared a match-winning 116-run partnership in 84 balls, guiding India to victory with 93 balls to spare.

Continuing her excellent form from the West Indies series, Smriti Mandhana scored 41 runs off just 29 balls, hitting six fours and a six. With this performance, she became the second Indian and the 15th overall player to surpass 4,000 runs in ODIs.

Mandhana's aggressive strokeplay on both sides of the wicket unsettled the Irish bowlers, particularly in the eighth over against Dempsey, where she hit a boundary, followed by a six and another four. Rawal, who debuted in the West Indies series, provided excellent support to Mandhana.

The duo built their third fifty-plus opening partnership in four matches, keeping the scoreboard ticking smoothly.

However, after Mandhana's dismissal for 41, Ireland's spinner Aimee Maguire (3/57) used clever bowling to put India under some pressure.

Earlier, due to India's poor fielding, Ireland's captain Gaby Lewis scored 92 runs, lifting her team to a respectable total of 238.