India W Vs Ireland W ODI Series: This is big as the ongoing India vs Ireland women’s ODI series has begun in Rajkot with Ireland playing its first ODI on Indian soil. The Niranjan Shah Stadium hosted the historic series and both side have brought in new faces while making strategic changes to the lineups.
Ireland’s Adjustments
Ireland captain Gaby Lewis elected to bat first and lost the toss. However the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup qualifiers are on the horizon the Irish team now have a chance to gain match practice before the tournament kicks off.
Ireland had made three changes to their XI since their last ODI against Bangladesh in November. In order to bolster the batting, batters Laura Delany and Christina Coulter Reilly and allrounder Georgina Dempsey have also been added. The team has gone with eight proper batters and turned to innovation for answers to a few unknowns. Amy Hunter, who is one of their most consistent batters, is missing the series because of a foot injury.
Players, such as Gaby Lewis and Laura Delany, with experience playing in Indian conditions will be key and could be important. Also on the rise are Orla Prendergast and Leah Paul, who will hope to help Ireland make its mark in this series.
India’s Fresh Faces
Smriti Mandhana, who is standing in for Harmanpreet Kaur, due to minor injury is leading India. India tests bench strength, grows new talent in this series.
Talk around the squad is centred around debutant seam bowler allrounder Sayali Satghare. India now relies on young players with little international experience in the seam assault with senior pacer Renuka Singh rested.
The bowling makeup too has changes with Tejal Hasabnis making a return to the XI after an absence in the series against West Indies. Players like Pratika Rawal who made her debut series look so promising and stalwarts like Jemimah Rodrigues and Deepti Sharma will strive to create an impact.
The Stakes
This series is far more about results than it is about any particular team for Ireland. It’s a chance to prepare for the World Cup qualifiers and test our team combinations.
On the other hand, India thinks this is a perfect chance to let its fringe players narrow the distance with the world’s top outfit. And the team will try to balance their experimentation with staying competitive. The series will be preceded by Rajkot’s Niranjan Shah Stadium making its debut as the venue for women’s ODI cricket, increasing its significance.
Playing XIs
India: Smriti Mandhana (c), Pratika Rawal, Harleen Deol, Jemimah Rodrigues, Tejal Hasabnis, Richa Ghosh, Deepti Sharma, Sayali Satghare, Saima Thakor, Priya Mishra, Titas Sadhu.
Ireland: Gaby Lewis (c), Sarah Forbes, Orla Prendergast, Freya Sargent, Arlene Kelly, Una Raymond-Hoey, Georgina Dempsey, Aimee Maguire, Laura Delany, Leah Paul, Christina Coulter Reilly.
However, this series is going to be exciting, playing exciting cricket, both teams want to take full advantage of this opportunity.
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