Fri Jan 10 16:59:51 UTC 2025: ## India Wins ODI Series Opener Against Ireland; Mandhana Achieves Milestone
**Dublin, Ireland:** India’s women’s cricket team started the new year with a resounding victory, defeating Ireland by six wickets in the first One Day International (ODI) of their three-match series. The win was further sweetened by a personal milestone for captain Smriti Mandhana, who became the fastest Indian woman to reach 4000 ODI runs.
Mandhana achieved the feat in just 95 innings, surpassing the previous record held by Mitali Raj (112 innings). While she fell short of a half-century in this match, scoring 41 runs off 29 balls (including six fours and a six), the milestone was enough to cement her place in Indian cricketing history. Globally, she is the third fastest to reach 4000 ODI runs, behind Meg Lanning of Australia.
India’s victory was also powered by impressive performances from young batters Pratibha Rawal (89 runs) and Taja Hasaabnis (53* runs). Ireland, despite a strong 92-run innings by Gaby Lewis and a 117-run partnership with Leah Paul (59 runs), ultimately fell short, posting a total of 238/7. India chased down the target with 93 balls to spare. The series now stands at 1-0 in India’s favour.
**(Note: The unrelated political statement by Nitesh Rane has been omitted from this news article as it is not relevant to the sporting event.)**
First Piper 