IND-W vs IRE-W 1st ODI: Smriti Mandhana scripts history, becomes fastest Indian women cricketer to....

Star Indian batter Smriti Mandhana created history by becoming the quickest among Indian woman cricketers to rack up 4000 runs in ODIs. This extraordinary landmark was reached throughout the opening ODI against Ireland at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot on Friday, where upon taking a single in the ninth over, Mandhana's tally went past the 4000-run mark. Considered the backbone of India's batting lineup, she brought up this remarkable milestone with great elan and in doing so etched her name in the record books for posterity.

With this feat she has become the overall 15th woman cricketer and the second Indian woman cricketer after the great Mithali Raj to achieve this milestone. Mandhana achieved the feat in just 95 matches, providing the 26-year-old the milestone of being the fastest Indian woman to reach 3,000 runs in less than 100 matches. Mithali Raj's 7805 runs remain the most that India has scored in ODI cricket while Mandhana is now second on that list.

 ODI runs and going strong! 

Congratulations, Smriti Mandhana 

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— BCCI Women (@BCCIWomen) January 10, 2025

Currently, Mandhana is leading the Indian team in this series as regular captain Harmanpreet Kaur is resting due to a knee injury and is undergoing rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA).

In the first ODI of the three-match series, India secured a comfortable six-wicket victory over Ireland. After winning the toss, Ireland chose to bat first and posted a competitive total of 238/7 in their 50 overs.

Irish skipper Gaby Lewis played a commendable innings, scoring 92 runs off 129 balls, with Leah Paul contributing 59 runs. In the final overs, Arlene Kelly added a quick 28 runs off 25 balls to boost Ireland's total. For India, Priya Mishra took two wickets, while Titas Sadhu, Sayli Satghare, and Deepti Sharma each claimed one wicket.

In response, India started strong but lost their captain Smriti Mandhana for 41 runs. Rising star Pratika Rawal anchored the innings with an impressive 89 runs, while Tejal Hasbanis remained not out on 53, guiding India to victory in just 34.3 overs.

Despite strong efforts from Ireland's bowlers, Aimee Maguire claimed 3 wickets and Freya Sargant added 1. Nevertheless, India comfortably controlled the chase.

Pratika Rawal was named Player of the Match for her exceptional performance. With this win, India takes a 1-0 lead in the series.

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