Pratika Rawal Factfile: India's In-Form Opener Bound By Injury, Not By Spirit

The Indian women's cricket team's unprecedented World Cup triumph had numerous eye-catching storylines. A prominent one among them was of a player who did not get to feature in the knockouts: Pratika Rawal.

The opener had tragically twisted her right ankle during India's last group-stage match against Bangladesh at the DY Patil Stadium. Rawal's right foot had got stuck into the turf on the final ball of the 21st over as she ran in from deep midwicket to stop the ball, and collapsed immediately grimacing in pain.

Indian players ran towards their teammate while a stretcher was also taken to the spot, but Rawal walked off the field with assistance from the support staff. She was later ruled out of the tournament and replaced by Shafali Verma, who remarkably emerged as the hero in the final against South Africa.

Nevertheless, a wheelchair-bound Pratika was at the heart of the team's celebrations in Navi Mumbai, as the same venue where her campaign was cut short by injury. The jubilant 25-year-old said: "I cannot express enough. There are no words (to express it). This flag on my shoulder, it means a lot to me. Being here with the team is just surreal.

"Injuries are part and parcel of the game. Very happy I was part of this team, this winning team. I just love this team. I am very happy that we actually made it. And we are the first team to have won a World Cup in so long, and the whole India deserves it. It was very difficult for me to sit out and watch the match. But seeing this energy, environment, it gave me goosebumps, whenever there was a wicket or a six. It is amazing."

Throughout the World Cup, Pratika displayed superlative form, amassing 308 runs from six innings at an impressive average of 51.33. She scored her maiden World Cup century in the game against New Zealand and became the joint-fastest player to reach 1,000 runs in Women's One Day Internationals.

Pratika Rawal's Bio

Date of Birth: September 1, 2000

Age: 25 years

Birthplace: Delhi

Role: Opening batter

Batting Style: Right-handed

Bowling Style: Right-arm off-spin

Pratika Rawal's ODI Stats

Matches played: 24

Runs: 1110

Average: 50.45

Hundreds: 2

Highest Score: 154

Pratika Rawal's Background

Pratika has made a big mark in a short span on the international scene, having debuted in ODIs in December 2024 against West Indies. She has since forged a reliable opening alliance with vice-captain Smriti Mandhana and boasts of an average in excess of 50 after 24 games.

She began playing cricket at the age of 10 and made the cut for the Delhi Under-19 team at 14, but chose to pursue the sport full-time only five years back, having also been a national-level basketball player. The batter concurrently focused on academics as a teenager and scored more than 92 percent in her 10th and 12th board exams before completing her graduation in psychology.