Gaby Lewis led from the front with a superb 92 as Ireland posted 238-7 in Rajkot but it wasn’t enough to stop hosts India recording a six-wicket victory in the first of three World Championship one-day internationals.
The Ireland skipper, who faced 129 balls and struck 15 fours, received good support from Leah Paul in a record fifth-wicket partnership in ODIs for Ireland of 117, which only ended when Paul was run out for 59.
Lewis was denied a century when she popped a return catch to Deepti Sharma but Arlene Kelly blasted Ireland to a competitive total with a rapid 28 from 25 balls.
Although spinner Aimee Maguire took 3-57, Ireland’s hopes of an upset win effectively ended when Laura Delany was removed from the attack after bowling two full tosses, and the home side reached their target with 15.3 overs to spare.
“There were definitely some positives to take from that performance,” Lewis said. “We were much better than we were in the ODIs in Bangladesh and I’m delighted with my batting.
“Credit to Leah [Paul] as well. Coming from our last series in Bangladesh, the pitches here are very different, so it’s about adapting as well as we can.”
The two teams meet again at Rajkot this Sunday with the final World Championship match scheduled for Tuesday.