In-form India opener Pratika Rawal has reportedly been ruled out of the 2025 Women's World Cup after suffering a freak injury in India's final group game vs Bangladesh. How could India replace her for the crucial semi-final vs Australia?
Fielding first in a match interrupted multiple times by rain, India kept Bangladesh's scoring in check at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, but suffered a big blow when Rawal twisted her ankle while chasing a ball right after a rain-break. She had to be helped off the field and did not take any further part in the game.
A day after the match, it was reported that Rawal has indeed been ruled out of the tournament, which means India will have to find an opener to replace her for the semi-final against Australia, scheduled on October 30 at the same venue.
How big a miss will Rawal be?
At the end of the group stage, Rawal finished as the second-highest run-scorer despite having not batted against Bangladesh after her injury in the first innings. From six innings, she scored 308 runs at 51.33, hitting a fifty and a hundred each. More importantly, she formed a rock solid opening partnership with Smriti Mandhana. Three of their six opening stands crossed 50, while two went past a hundred, including a world record 212-run stand against New Zealand.
The other century opening partnership Rawal and Mandhana shared was against Australia, the same opponents they'll face on Thursday. In that game at Vizag, Rawal made 75 off 96 balls, her first World Cup half-century.
Not having her for the rest of the knockouts could even turn out to be a tournament-deciding factor for India. Their squad construction - where they didn't pick a backup opener - isn't going to help them either. But this is the reality they are faced with, and will have to make the most of the resources they have got at their disposal.
How can India replace Rawal?
Push Harleen to open, play an extra bowler
Possibly the safest fix would be to push Harleen Deol, the designated No.3, to replace Rawal at the top and partner Mandhana. The role difference would be minimal, given No.3s are supposed to be equipped to come out to bat on the second ball of the innings. Having been promoted to No.3 against New Zealand, Jemimah Rodrigues can then continue at that position, with the rest of the batting order bearing the usual look: Harmanpreet Kaur-Deepti Sharma-Richa Ghosh-Amanjot Kaur-Sneh Rana.
Deol is also the closest to Rawal in terms of batting styles among all the replacement options India have. She also had a good start to the World Cup, scoring 48 off 64 and 46 off 65 in the first two matches against Sri Lanka and Pakistan. In fact, Deol has gotten starts each of the five times she has batted, her lowest score being 13.
The only argument going against her is her strike rate. Her 169 runs in the World Cup have come at a rate of 75.11, and she doesn't have a great record against Australia: average of 23 from eight ODIs.
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Ask Amanjot to pinch-hit keeping rest of the batting order intact
If India's incomplete run-chase against Bangladesh was any indication, they might be looking at Amanjot Kaur as their makeshift opener for the semi-final. The seam-bowling all-rounder came out to bat with Mandhana and was unbeaten on 15 off 25 when the match was called off. Earlier in the tournament, she had rescued India with an enterprising 57 against Sri Lanka, but that was from No.8. In fact, her knock against Bangladesh was the first time she had batted higher than No.7 in ODIs and No.5 in T20Is.
She does, however, have opening experience in domestic cricket, having opened the batting for Punjab in the Inter-State Women's T20 Competition. In fact, Kaur also has a score of 66 to her name in a Women's Inter-Zonal T20 Competition match for North Zone where Harleen Deol batted at three.
Does it then make sense to have Kaur open which allows the rest of the batting line up to bat at their preferred slots?
Perhaps only if Kaur is tasked to take on the Australian bowling in the powerplay sort of like a pinch-hitter. For if she goes about constructing her innings normally, Deol would be better equipped to do that, and India would miss out on Kaur's finishing skills. And finishing games against Australia (or any team, for that matter) is where India have struggled.
Fly in Shafali Verma
Shafali Verma's absence made a lot of noise when the World Cup squad was announced. A prodigious talent who broke through to make her international debut at the age of 15, Verma has fallen off the radar due to her inconsistent returns. From 29 ODIs, she averages just 23 at a strike rate of 83.20.
Her last 50-plus score in the format came in July 2022, but after being dropped from the national side last year, Verma has been lighting up the domestic circuit with her performances. In the ongoing Senior Women's T20 Trophy (India's premier senior women's T20 competition), Verma is the leading run-scorer with 341 runs from seven innings at an average of 56.83 and a strike rate of 182.35, including one hundred and two fifties. During the World Cup warm-ups, she had also made 70 off 49 balls against New Zealand, while the three 50-over games for India A against Australia A in August saw her make one fifty (52 off 59).
Bringing someone into the playing XI for a World Cup semi-final, especially against an opposition like Australia would be a huge risk, but Verma is in form, and could turn out to be just the X-factor India need to go the distance.
Also read: Shafali Verma deserves an ODI return - her exclusion is India's own loss
Wild card: Take the punt on Kiran Navgire
Another batter in Verma's mould, the 31-year-old Navgire has played six T20Is but is yet to make her ODI debut. However, like Verma, she has been in explosive form of late.
In the Senior Women's T20 Trophy, Navgire smashed the fastest ever T20 hundred by a woman less than two weeks back - off just 34 balls. She even followed it up with an unbeaten 96 off just 42 balls days later. Her strike rate in the tournament reads a whopping 244.08 at a not-so-small average of 75.67.
It's highly unlikely that they'll throw her in the deep end at a World Cup semi-final, having never played 50-over international cricket, but the prospect of what she can potentially do on her night would be tempting.
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