India 241 for 4 wickets (Raval 89, Hasbanis 53*, Mandhana 41) defeated ireland 238 for 7 (Lewis 92, Paul 59, Mishra 2-56) by six wickets
While Raval kept changing gears after playing a strong opening innings of 70 runs with Smriti Mandhana, Hassebnis played aggressively and showed a penchant for playing big shots right from the start.
Hasbanis could not make the playing XI in any of the three ODIs against the West Indies late last month and got a chance here only because Harmanpreet Kaur was rested. She repaid the trust by scoring a half-century in just 43 balls and remained unbeaten after scoring 53 runs.
As India entered their home ground, Raval’s impending century became a subject of considerable interest. Raval showed a keen interest in running in the 80s. When Raval needed 25 runs and India needed only 21 runs, she hit two fours and a six off left-arm spinner Amy Maguire.
The first of those fours was an aesthetically pleasing inside-out drive over extra cover against the turn. After this he made two big blows directly on the ground. At the score of 89, an attempt to loft the ball down the ground for six resulted in it falling inches short of the boundary line and Orla Prendergast took a brilliant catch.
Rawal stood up and applauded. After crossing fifty, he did not even have a chance to score his maiden ODI century due to his sensational strokeplay. In the 35th over, Richa Ghosh ensured India’s victory by sending her first two balls across the boundary.
While Raval could not remain unbeaten, Hasbanis did no harm to his reputation, showing the potential to become a big-hitting middle-order batsman that India would love to have. She got going very quickly, when she hit two consecutive fours off Laura Delany in the 24th over, taking the score to 22 runs.
When Delaney was out midway through the over, Prendergast came under Hasbanis’s attack as he hit a length ball through extra cover for his third boundary. The entrepreneurial nature of the Raval-Hassabnis partnership allowed India to move towards the target.
The pair put on a partnership of 117 to rescue an innings that looked to be heading for free-fall when novice legspinner Priya Mishra dismissed Ireland’s two most experienced batsmen, Prendergast and Delaney, on successive balls in the 14th over. Sent back. 4 wickets for 56 runs.
However, India were not aggressive on the field and dropped four catches in total, allowing Ireland to bat the full 50 overs. Lewis was first relieved on 59 when Richa Ghosh was caught with her boot to prevent a healthy lead. Paul was dismissed by Titas Sadhu at deep midwicket and Mishra on his own ball in back-to-back overs, after the batsman had completed his seventh ODI half-century.
Then when Ireland were trying to accelerate in the end overs, Harleen holed out to Arlene Kelly at extra cover. Ireland batting the full 50 overs should count as a small victory of sorts, as only two players – Lewis and Delany – had prior experience of playing in India.
Cameos from Kelly and Christina Coulter Reilly helped Ireland score some vital runs in the death overs, but it became clear early on, as Mandhana turbocharged a succession of pull shots in her quickfire 41, that it would be enough. Will not done .
Shashank Kishore is senior sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo
