CHENNAI: When Ireland women landed in Bangladesh for three ODIs and as many T20Is last month, they knew it was going to be a massive challenge. For starters, the conditions are vastly different, and that is not just it. After finishing the tour of Bangladesh, a litmus test against India awaits in India early next year.

Safe to say, the start has not been easy. Ireland, led by their newly anointed full-time skipper Gaby Lewis, lost all three ODIs to Bangladesh, conceding the series to the hosts. Perhaps, the only positive for them was the way captain Lewis and rising star Amy Hunter batted in the second and third games.

While both scored a fifty each, the team will expect a lot more from them come the T20Is, which begin on Thursday. For Lewis, who took over as full-time captain from Laura Delany recently, this additional responsibility is not new. She has led the country in the past, so Lewis is not stressing too much. Largely, it has been about handling the media a little more than she used to. “Obviously, trying to keep things as normal as possible,” she told this daily in a conversation felicitated by FanCode.

Admitting it is an “honour” to be named captain of the country, Lewis is happy to follow the footsteps of her father Alan Lewis, who led Ireland on 35 occasions. “They were very proud and delighted. Just being good support, which is nice. The family has always been there to give advice and things like that,” Lewis said with a beaming smile.