New rivalries
Riding high on a dominant performance against the West Indies, India under Smriti Mandhana will look to carry forward their winning momentum when they take on Ireland in their first-ever women’s bilateral series, with the opening ODI scheduled here on Friday.
India had swept the West Indies 3-0 in the ODI series, following a 2-1 triumph in the T20 series. Mandhana emerged as the top run-scorer across formats, scoring 148 runs in the ODI series, including two half-centuries, and 193 runs in the T20s, with three successive fifties.
Notably, she scored five consecutive half-centuries, only missing out in the final ODI and Mandhana will look to bring the same form as she leads the team in the absence of regular captain Harmanpreet Kaur, who has been rested alongside fast bowler Renuka Singh.
The responsibility shifts to the rest of the batters, including Harleen Deol, Pratika Rawal and Jemimah Rodrigues, to step up. Deol was the top-scorer in the ODI series with 160 runs, including a brilliant 115, while Rawal and Rodrigues also had solid outings, scoring 134 and 112 runs, respectively, with a fifty each in the ODIs.
In the bowling department, Renuka’s absence will be felt as she was the leading wicket-taker with 10 wickets in the ODI series against the West Indies. The onus will now fall on newcomers Titas Sadhu and Saima Thakor to make their mark.
Sadhu, 20, who has three wickets in ODIs and 13 wickets in T20Is, will be expected to provide early breakthroughs, having impressed with her pace and swing in domestic and recent international cricket. Saima, 28, will also look to continue her good form after taking seven wickets in eight ODIs so far.
Vice-captain and off-spinner Deepti Sharma will be crucial, especially after her career-best bowling performance of 6/31 in the third ODI against the West Indies. Priya Mishra and Tanuja Kanwar will play key roles in supporting Deepti.
Eyes will also be on all-rounders Raghvi Bist and Sayali Satghare, who have been included in the squad for this series. Bist has the ability to score quickly and is also a reliable fielder. She will look to seize the opportunity after making her debut in the Windies T20 series.
Ireland, led by Gaby Lewis with all-rounder Orla Prendergast as her deputy, will face a tough challenge against India. The Irish team has never beaten India in 12 ODIs. India won their last encounter in the 2023 T20 World Cup by a narrow five-run margin.
Shafali still in scheme of things: Mandhana
Dropped following poor returns last year, big-hitting opener Shafali Verma “definitely” remains in the scheme of things, Mandhana said.
Known for her penchant to go after the bowlers from the get-go, Shafali was dropped from the squad for the ODI series against Australia in December. “In the last two or three ODI series, Shafali has not been part of the squad. Pratika (Rawal) in the last series has done really well in her absence, but definitely Shafali scored a lot of runs in domestic cricket, so she’s definitely in the scheme of things,” Mandhana said. “I’m really happy that she went back and got those runs.”
Mandhana said the team is looking forward to doing well with resources she has at her disposal. “As a team, we do not have to think what is not there because we want to go out there and have the positive mindset that we have a really balanced squad. The girls who have come in as well are really good,” she said. “We had a good series against the West Indies. Definitely, the last series gives us a lot of confidence and different batters at different times got runs, and especially against the West Indies our bowling attack was on point. So, hoping that we keep the form going,” she added.
