Star Indian batter Smriti Mandhana, etched her name in the history books by becoming the fastest Indian woman cricketer to score 4000 ODI runs. She achieved this milestone during the first ODI against Ireland at the Niranjan Shah Stadium, Rajkot, on Friday. Mandhana reached 4000 run mark by taking a single in the ninth over.
With this feat, she became the 15th woman cricketer and only the second Indian after the legendary Mithali Raj to achieve this milestone. Notably, Mandhana accomplished this in just 95 matches, making her the fastest Indian woman to achieve the feat in under 100 matches. Mithali Raj holds the record for the highest runs in ODI cricket (7805) for India, with Mandhana now rising to second in the list.
Mandhana is leading the Indian team in this series as regular skipper Harmanpreet Kaur has been rested due to a knee injury and is undergoing rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA).
India Triumphs Over Ireland in Series Opener; Pratika Rawal Shines
India secured a comfortable six-wicket victory over Ireland in the first ODI of the three-match series. Ireland, opting to bat first after winning the toss, posted a competitive total of 238/7 in their 50 overs.
Irish skipper Gaby Lewis played a valiant knock of 92 runs off 129 balls, supported by Leah Paul, who scored a gritty 59. In the final phase, Arlene Kelly contributed a quickfire 28 off 25 balls to propel Ireland's total. For India, Priya Mishra claimed two wickets, while Titas Sadhu, Sayli Satghare, and Deepti Sharma picked up one wicket each.
In response, India started strongly but lost their skipper Smriti Mandhana for 41. Rising star Pratika Rawal anchored the innings with a stellar 89 runs, while Tejal Hasbanis remained unbeaten on 53 to guide India to victory in just 34.3 overs. Despite spirited efforts from Ireland's bowlers Aimee Maguire took 3 wickets and Freya Sargant picked 1 India dominated the chase with an ease.
Pratika Rawal was adjudged Player of the Match for her match-winning performance. With this win, India takes a 1-0 lead in the series.
