Pratika Rawal is the 150th woman from India to play One Day International (ODI) cricket. In less than a month since her debut, she has made a remarkable impact on the international stage. (More Cricket News)
In the third ODI match against Ireland at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot on Wednesday, she scored an impressive 154 runs, showcasing her ability to bat for long periods and play a variety of shots.
Rawal batted for 44 overs, hitting 20 fours and one six during her innings. With this performance, she now holds the record for the most runs scored after six innings in Women's ODIs (WODIs).
This inning also marked her first ODI century, following scores of 40, 76, 18, 89, and 67 in her previous five ODI appearances. She now has 444 runs in her six WODIs which is 10 more than England's Charlotte Edwards (434).
Thanks to Rawal's 154 runs and the fastest WODI century by any Indian cricketer, Smriti Mandhana, India posted a total of 435 runs for 5 wickets after 50 overs. This score is the highest WODI total in the history of Indian women's cricket, surpassing the previous record for men's ODIs of 418 runs.
India's total is the fourth-highest in WODI history, with the New Zealand women's team holding the top three positions. Interestingly, five out of the six highest team totals in WODIs were achieved against the Ireland women's team. The highest WODI team total ever recorded is New Zealand Women's 491 runs for 4 wickets against Ireland Women in Dublin in 2018.
This match also marked the sixth instance of a team scoring over 400 runs in women's ODIs, with four of those instances occurring against Ireland.
Earlier in the match, Mandhana and Rawal partnered well, adding 233 runs for the first wicket, which is the seventh-largest opening partnership in WODIs. Mandhana hit a century off 70 balls and finished with 135 runs from 80 balls, including 12 fours and seven sixes.
Richa Ghosh, batting one position down, contributed a quick 59 runs off 42 balls. Tejal Hasabnis and Harleen Deol also added valuable runs, helping the Indian women's team achieve a record total.
