First ODI century for Rodrigues as India seal series

To be clear, just a month ago, in the second ODI against West Indies in Vadodara, India went in with the same playing XI for the first time since coach Amol Muzumdar took over.
Jemimah Rodrigues
Jemimah Rodrigues
Updated on
2 min read

CHENNAI: The moment Smriti Mandhana, India’s stand-in captain in the absence of Harmanpreet Kaur, won the toss and opted to bat first at Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot against Ireland, one thing was certain.

Given how the pitch performed in the first match of the series, it was certain that the second game was going to be the run-fest.

The other thing, that came as a surprise, given their record since the start of 2024, was that for the first time in many fixtures, India opted to go with the same playing XI in the 50-over format.

To be clear, just a month ago, in the second ODI against West Indies in Vadodara, India went in with the same playing XI for the first time since coach Amol Muzumdar took over. Sunday was only the second instance under Muzumdar where the captain did not have to explain the changes at the time of the toss.

Understandably, India would want to try as many players as possible in the home World Cup coming soon and that is what they have done with enthusiasm over the past year.

Sunday was an exception to the rule when the same Mandhana-led side took the field and the players made most of their chances in the middle with both bat and ball. It started with Pratika Rawal who made her debut against West Indies late last year.

The Delhi batter rose to the occasion once again to form a partnership of 150 runs with Mandhana. From the first ball she faced, the Delhi batter found her rhythm and there was no looking back. Mandhana, as she has done on numerous occasions recently, celebrated her 30th half-century in the format.

When the duo fell off two back-to-back deliveries, India were already batting with an 8-plus run rate. Once both openers were back, Jemimah Rodrigues and Harleen Deol had a platform set and just needed to keep the scoring rate going.

Deol, trying to cement her role in India’s batting lineup, took some time to find her feet as Rodrigues continued to challenge the Irish bowlers. It took them 75 balls to raise the partnership of 50 runs, but then they chose to change the gears. Rodrigues tried to free her arms and Deol found her groove against the young Georgina Dempsey.

Deol added a half-century and Rodrigues followed. With ten overs left in the first innings, India had 268 runs on the board, however, the duo made Ireland pay for some wayward bowling and sloppy fielding. Deol missed out on a well-deserving century, but Rodrigues kept her head down to notch her first ton for the national side and India went on to put 370 for five in the first innings - their highest in the format.

Despite Christina Coulter Reilly’s 80, Ireland could only post 254 for seven. But it was never going to be enough as India took the unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.

Brief scores: India 370/5 in 50 ovs (Rodrigues 102, Deol 89) bt Ireland 254/7 in 50 ovs (Coulter Reilly 80; Sharma 3/37)

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