IND-W vs IRE-W: Pratika Rawal, Tejas Hasabnis Hand India An Easy Win Over Irish Counterparts

The India women's cricket team beat their Irish counterparts by six wickets in the first ODI in Rajkot on Saturday, January 11. The win gives them a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

Opener Pratiika Rawal (89) and middle-order-batter Tejal Hasabnis (53) played match-winning knocks taking the team to victory. India chased the target of 239 inside 35 overs and won the match with 15 overs and six wickets to spare.

Earlier in the game, Ireland Women won the toss and opt to bat first. Skipper Gaby Lewis found herself as the lone warrior at the top-order scoring 92 off 129 balls with 15 boundaries. Some lower-order resistance from Leah Paul (58) and Arlene Kelly (28) helped Ireland get to 238/7 in 50 overs.

Leg spinner Priya Mishra took two wickets with the ball as Titas Sadhu, SAyali Satghare and Deepti Sharma took one each. Overall, it was some disciplined bowling from the Indian bowlers.

India led by Smriti Mandhana in this game, chased the target down very professionally. Mandhana (41) and Rawal (89) had an opening stand of 70 for the first wicket that set the platform for the chase. The innings by Pratika Rawal oozed class as she hit 10 fours and a six and presented a batting masterclass. She was unfortunate to miss out on a hundred.

After Rawal, it was Tejas's opportunity to rise upto the occasion. She scored an unbeaten 53 off 46 balls and added a 118-run stand with Rawal to take India past the winning score.

Pratika Rawal Lauds Partnership With Tejal Hasabnis

Pratika Rawal was named the Player Of The Match for his fabulous performance with the bat. She spoke after the match about her knock saying that she is comfortable as an opener and loves batting alongside her skipper Smriti Mandhana. She also complimented Tejal Hasnabis for their partnership.

" I am comfortable here. It helps a lot, always enjoy watching Mandhana from the other end. It eases me down. Being a student of Psychology also helps to stay calm. We were just trying to keep it simple, we had a good start. We just had to carry on the momentum. At the end, Tejal also played really well" Rawal said.

The second ODI will be played on Sunday at Rajkot. India is led by Smriti Mandhana in the series with Harmanpreet Kaur and a few other senior players rested.