Riding high on a dominant performance against the West Indies, Smriti Mandhana-led India will aim to extend their winning streak as they take on Ireland in their first-ever women's bilateral series against them, with the opening ODI scheduled in Rajkot 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 continue 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.
With Kaur and Renuka missing, 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 West Indies 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 against the Windies.
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.
The focus will also be all-rounders Raghvi Bist and Sayali Satghare, who have been included in the squad for this series. Bist, who has the ability to score quickly and is also a reliable fielder, will look to seize the opportunity after making her debut in the West Indies T20Is.
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 the 12 ODIs they have played against them. India won their last encounter in the 2023 T20 World Cup by a narrow five-run margin.
However, Gaby said her team will go into the match with a winning mindset.
"Our team has completed every practice session very well over the last three days. We hope to enter the field with the intention of winning the first match. The Irish team is always ready to play with challenges," said Gaby, who will complete a half-century of ODIs on Friday.
"We are playing against the Indian team for the first time. There are some very good players in the Indian team. We have a very good challenge (awaiting us)," the 23-year-old said.
The Irish team boasts of some quality all-rounders, with Prendergast likely to be a key player. Having gained experience in Australia and the WBBL, she will look to bring that to the fore as Ireland takes on the formidable India at home.
Squads:
India: Smriti Mandhana (captain), Deepti Sharma (vice-captain), Pratika Rawal, Harleen Deol, Jemimah Rodrigues, Uma Chetry (w/k), Richa Ghosh (wk), Tejal Hasabnis, Raghvi Bist, Minnu Mani, Priya Mishra, Tanuja Kanwer, Titas Sadhu, Saima Thakor, Sayali Satghare.
Ireland: Gaby Lewis (captain), Ava Canning, Christina Coulter Reilly, Alana Dalzell, Laura Delany, Georgina Dempsey, Sarah Forbes, Arlene Kelly, Joanna Loughran, Aimee Maguire, Leah Paul, Orla Prendergast, Una Raymond-Hoey, Freya Sargent, Rebecca Stokell.
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