Pratika Rawal's 89-run knock helps IND chase 242 vs IRE in Rajkot

Pratika Rawal en route her 89 during the 1st ODI against Ireland in Rajkot yesterday. Pic/BCCI

Pratika Rawal showcased maturity beyond her experience, while Tejal Hasabnis capped a memorable comeback, posting a fifty each, as India outplayed an inexperienced Ireland by six wickets to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match women's ODI series here on Friday.

Rawal anchored the modest run chase of 239 after stand-in skipper Smriti Mandhana's brisk 41, smashing 10 fours and one six for a career-best 89 (96 balls).
Hasabnis, who last played an ODI against New Zealand in October 2024, struck her first fifty after her comeback, remaining unbeaten on 53 off 46 balls with the help of nine boundaries.

Crucial 116-run stand

Rawal and Hasabnis put together a match-winning 116-run partnership from 84 balls with India winning the match with 93 balls to spare.

Smriti Mandhana

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Earlier, butter-fingered India let Ireland off the hook with their pathetic fielding as visiting skipper Gaby Lewis carved out a classy 92 to lift her team to a respectable 238-7.

Opting to bat, Ireland were in deep trouble at 56-4 in the 14th over, but Lewis and Leah Paul (59 off 73 balls) added 117 runs for the fifth wicket to steer their team to safety.

Mandhana was not pleased that India let Ireland off the hook due to fielding lapses, saying they should have restricted their opponents to under 180. "We need to get better at fielding. We should have restricted them to 180, will be aiming to do that going forward. We have to go out there and execute our plans, that's going to be important," Mandhana said during the post-match presentation.

The captain, however, praised the bowling unit for performing well on the placid wicket. "To bowl on these sort of wickets, which have nothing in it, the bowlers did a really good job... The way they executed the slower balls and bouncers. Every game here on, we need to execute."

Mandhana provided an explosive start with her 29-ball 41 before Rawal showed immense maturity to anchor the chase. "Really happy for our batters. Tejal finished off well. It was a perfect day for us. Matches are won by the things we do behind the scene. Need to stick to our routine and do all the right things," she added.

‘Wasn't thinking about ton'

Rawal, who made her debut in the preceding series against the West Indies, missed a maiden century by just 11 runs.

The 24-year-old, however, said she never had the century in mind. "I am not thinking about the results, not thinking about the big numbers, just taking it one match at a time. Whenever the ball is in my slot, I try to hit boundaries. Otherwise, I just try to push it down the ground," she said.

Brief scores
Ireland 238-7 in 50 overs (G Lewis 92, L Paul 59; P Mishra 2-56) lost to India 241-4 in 34.3 overs (P Rawal 89, T Hasabnis 53', S Mandhana 41; A Maguire 3-57) by six wickets

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