Smriti, Pratika smash tons, records as India beat Ireland by 304 runs

India captain Smriti Mandhana and her opening partner Pratika Rawal's record-breaking performance on Wednesday helped India beat inexperienced Ireland to claim its biggest-ever ODI win and complete a 3-0 clean sweep.

The gap between the sides was so wide that the visitors could only make 131, chasing a mammoth score of 436. India, playing the series without their captain Harmanpreet Kaur or the regular pace attack, skittled the Irish team out in 31.4 overs.

Record-breaking Mandhana (135 in 80 balls with 12 fours and 7 sixes) and Rawal (154 in 129balls with 20 fours and one 6) helped the home team reach 435 for 5, the highest total by an Indian team — men’s or women’s — in ODIs.

India men's highest ODI total is 418/5, made against the West Indies in Indore in 2011.

India were on the offensive from the start. Batting first, Mandhana and Rawal took Irish bowlers to the cleaners, making 233 runs for the first wicket in just 26.4 overs. 

Their partnership made them only the fourth Indian pair to record a 200-run stand in Women’s ODIs.

Mandhana was in her usual destructive self, and was not afraid to take the aerial route over the 'V' and clear the 30-yard circle.

Rawal complemented her captain brilliantly with a measured knock, making the occasion even more special by notching her maiden international century in her sixth innings. She also surpassed England's Charlotte Edwards to score the most runs in the first six innings in ODIs.

After Mandhana got out for 135, her second-best ODI score (her highest is 136) and the fastest ton by an Indian, Richa Ghosh joined the party. They added 104 runs in 72 balls, with the wicketkeeper-batter making a 37-ball fifty, her fifth in ODIs.

Rawal, the revelation of the series, was named the player of the match and the series for her heroics with the bat.

Then spinners Tanuja Kanwar (2/31) and Deepti Sharma (3/27) took over, sharing five wickets to decimate the Irish batting line-up.

Orla Prendergast (36) and Sarah Forbes (41) added 64 runs for the third wicket, which helped Ireland recover from a shaky 24 for two and reach 88 without further damage.

But once Prendergast was cleaned up by Kanwar, India closed in, claiming the remaining seven wickets for just 33 runs. In her first outing in the series, Kerala's Minnu Mani picked one wicket, giving away just 22 runs in six overs.

It also helped India eclipse their previous largest margin of victory (by runs) — 249 registered against the same opposition in 2017 at Potchefstroom, South Africa.

Brief scores:
India 435/5 (Pratika Rawal 154, Smriti Mandhana 135, Richa Ghosh 59, Tejal Hasabnis 28, Orla Prendergast 2-71) bt Ireland 131 in 31.4 overs (Orla Prendergast 36, Sarah Forbes 41, Deepti Sharma 3-27, Tanuja Kaznwar 2-31) by 304 runs.