2nd ODI: Jemimah's First Century Secures Series Victory for India

Rajkot, Jan 12 (NationPress) India demonstrated their superiority over Ireland with a commanding 116-run victory in the second women's ODI at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium on Sunday. With this win, the hosts established an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.

Jemimah Rodrigues scored her maiden international century (102), supported by half-centuries from Smriti Mandhana (73), Pratika Rawal (67), and Harleen Deol (89), enabling India to post a total of 370/5, marking their highest score in this format.

The opening pair of Smriti and Pratika provided a rapid start, with Smriti batting at an impressive strike rate of 135.18. They formed a formidable 150-run partnership before Smriti was dismissed in the 19th over, trying to clear the mid-wicket fielder but ending up caught by Georgina Dempsey off the bowling of Orla Prendergast.

Pratika soon followed, caught LBW by Georgina on the very next ball.

With two new batters at the crease, Ireland hoped to capitalize on the situation, but Harleen and Jemimah held strong, putting together a remarkable 183-run partnership for the third wicket. Jemimah accelerated after reaching her half-century, scoring the next 50 runs in just 28 balls. Harleen was dismissed in the 48th over, just 11 runs shy of her second ODI century, while Jemimah was bowled out in the last over by Arlene Kelly.

For the visiting team, Arlene Kelly and Orla Prendergast both took two wickets but conceded over eight runs per over.

In response to the challenging target of 371, Ireland's top ODI scorer, Gaby Lewis (12), was the first to be dismissed by Sayali Satghare in the eighth over. An attempted drive resulted in a faint edge, confirmed by DRS. Sarah Forbes (38) and Christina Coulter Reilly (80) formed a 55-run partnership until Sarah was bowled by spinner Deepti Sharma in the 21st over. Orla Prendergast (3) quickly followed, caught by Sayali off Priya Mishra's bowling.

Laura Delany (37) and Christina's 73-run partnership attempted to stabilize the innings, but their efforts were thwarted by Titas Sadhu, who bowled Christina out. Wickets continued to fall at regular intervals, with Ireland finishing at 254/7 after 50 overs.

For India, Deepti Sharma was the standout bowler, returning figures of 3-37 in her 10 overs. Jemimah was named Player of the Match for her impressive century performance.

"I feel relieved. I have accumulated many runs in domestic cricket, but my roles have varied in the team. I have played more T20 matches. I aimed to play as I do in domestic cricket," Jemimah stated post-match.

"I realized I hadn’t played enough in this format. It took some time. I usually bat at 5. Patience is key; you keep finding gaps. We discussed the need to bat until the 40th over. While I took my time, she took the initiative. Our extensive experience playing together helped," she added.

The final ODI between the two sides is scheduled for January 15, with the visitors aiming for a consolation victory in the series finale.

Brief scores: India 370/5 in 50 overs (Jemimah Rodrigues 102, Harleen Doel 89; Orla Prendergast 2-75) defeated Ireland 254/7 in 50 overs (Christina Coulter Reilly 80, Sarah Forbes 38; Deepti Sharma 3-37) by 116 runs.