Indian women's cricket team wrapped up their ODI series against Ireland with a record-laden 304-run win in Rajkot on Wednesday. India registered their biggest-ever win in women's ODIs by thrashing Ireland to register a clean sweep in the three-match home series.
Openers Smriti Mandhana and Pratika Rawal registered impressive centuries each to help India women register their biggest-ever ODI total of 435 while batting first and the star spinner Deepti Sharma picked three wickets to bowl out the Irish side to 131, leading the hosts to their biggest-ever win by 304 runs.
Pratika top-scored with 154 off 129 to celebrate her maiden international century and captain Mandhana smashed 135 off just 80 balls to give India a sensational start at Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium. The young wicketkeeper batter Richa Ghosh also contributed by scoring 59 runs after she was promoted to the no.3 role.
India women's previous biggest win by a margin of runs came against Ireland when they recorded a 249-run triumph in an ODI game in Potchefstroom in 2017. Rawal played the biggest part in India's record-breaking win by scoring 154 runs and clinched the Player of the Match award.
"It is a good start to the January season. I am very happy," Pratika said in the post-match presentations. "Always good to score runs and do it for the country is going to boost my confidence. Happy with my performance. [100 moment] I just had the celebration in my mind when I kiss the helmet, and I was visualizing that. I just wanted to do that. [On Mandhana]: It looks so easy when she bats. I don't mind taking a backseat when she bats. It is a treat."
Ireland Women Playing XI: Sarah Forbes, Gaby Lewis (c), Coulter Reilly (wk), Orla Prendergast, Laura Delany, Leah Paul, Arlene Kelly, Ava Canning, Georgina Dempsey, Freya Sargent, Alana Dalzell.
India Women Playing XI: Smriti Mandhana (c), Pratika Rawal, Harleen Deol, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (wk), Tejal Hasabnis, Deepti Sharma, Sayali Satghare, Minnu Mani, Tanuja Kanwar, Titas Sadhu.