Drop World Cup final hero? How India can slot fit-again Pratika Rawal into their ODI team against Australia

Rawal has enjoyed a remarkable start to her ODI career. She became the fastest woman to reach 500 ODI runs, getting there in just eight innings, and has since established herself at the top of India's order. Since her debut in December 2024, she has played 24 ODIs, scoring 1,110 runs at an average of 50.45, including two centuries and seven half-centuries. Promoted as an opener in place of Shafali Verma after the latter endured a prolonged lean phase, Rawal quickly formed a productive partnership with Smriti Mandhana. The pair average 78.21 together, with seven century stands, and have already accumulated 1,799 runs for the first wicket, the highest by an Indian opening duo in the format.

Her impact extended into the World Cup as well. Rawal scored 308 runs at 51.33 during the tournament, highlighted by a composed 134-ball 122 against New Zealand in a crucial fixture. However, just before the semi-final, she suffered an ankle injury during the match against Bangladesh, leaving the field in visible discomfort with assistance from teammates.

India were forced into a late change, recalling Shafali, who had not featured in ODIs for more than a year. She managed only 10 runs in the semi-final, but scored 87 from 78 balls and also claimed two crucial wickets in the final, earning the Player of the Match award in India’s title-winning performance.

Also Read: Interview - Shafali Varma: The unlikely hero of India's game-changing World Cup win

Although Verma continued to play in India's T20Is following the tournament, her performance in that final also helped secure a place in the squad for the Australia ODIs beginning on February 24. With Rawal now fit again, India must decide whether to restore the established opening combination or retain the player who delivered on the biggest stage, creating a genuine selection dilemma ahead of the series.

Reinstate the Rawal-Mandhana opening combo

This is the most obvious solution. Rawal and Mandhana have worked as a combination, with Rawal's strike rate of 82.83 also helping the left-hander find her aggressive self. In 2025, Mandhana batted with a strike rate of 109.92 while averaging 61.9, the first time ever that she has struck over 100 in a calendar year in ODIs. While Rawal offered steadiness at one end, Mandhana provided the fire, the two fitting together perfectly.

However, Shafali has done no wrong. To earn an ODI recall after a year out in the wilderness, and then to shine on the brightest stage, needs to be rewarded. Dropping her now could dent her confidence further, and a youngster like Shafali could feel that her match-winning contribution in a World Cup final counted for little. At just 22, she remains a generational talent, and the message sent by benching her immediately after her heroics would be a harsh one.

Giving Shafali a longer rope

To prevent that, India could stick with Shafali, the original first-choice opener before Rawal took her spot. Shafali has spoken openly about fighting mental demons during her time away from the sport, including hiding the news of her omission from her father, who had suffered a heart attack just days prior, or even contemplating giving up the game entirely. To then come back from that oblivion to play on the grandest stage - the World Cup knockouts - and perform with both bat and ball, shows the incredible grit she possesses.

However, there is a reason Shafali was out of the ODI team in the first place. Between September 2022 and October 2024, Shafali played 11 ODIs, managing just 122 runs at an average of 11.09 with a strike rate of 77.7 — a far cry from the firepower she was known to possess. Her highest score in this period was 33, so it's not that she didn't get chances. Across her ODI career, she has made 741 runs in 31 games at an average of 24.70, a record that suggests she is yet to fully crack the 50-over format. Sport is all about comebacks, but Rawal, with an average more than double that of Shafali's career figure, will feel hard done by if she is asked to sit out despite her remarkable consistency.

Rawal at No.3, all others drop a spot

India could simply decide to play both of Shafali and Rawal together, with Shafali as opener, also helping India maintain a left-right combination at the top, and Rawal at No. 3. While Rawal's game is well-suited to the one-drop position - she rotates strike efficiently and has the temperament to rebuild if early wickets fall - she will have to adapt to an unfamiliar role.

This would also trigger wholesale changes throughout the XI. Jemimah Rodrigues, who primarily batted at No. 5 before the World Cup, played her finest knock of 127* in the semi-final against Australia at No. 3, after being asked to bat there just five minutes before walking out. Rodrigues had also scored 76* at No. 3 against New Zealand earlier in the same competition, the first time she had batted there in over four years. It's a spot that's seemingly suiting her, with the freedom to start slow and then pace the innings, working perfectly for her game.

Harmanpreet Kaur would then have to move down to No. 5, away from her preferred No. 4 position, where she has continued to bat over the last two seasons. She has averaged 40.98 at No. 4, with six hundreds, compared to just one at No. 5. It's no secret that Harmanpreet's ball-striking is not what it used to be, so leaving her for the finisher's role in the dying stages might not be the best use of her experience or abilities.

India would also have to drop one player from their current XI - probably Radha Yadav - to accommodate Rawal's inclusion. However, that would reduce the available bowling options to just five, making it a risky step on flat Australian tracks where depth in bowling can often prove decisive.

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