The 24-year-old opening batter Pratika Rawal made her international debut on 22nd December 2024 in the first ODI against the West Indies at the Kotambi Stadium, Vadodara. She scored an impressive 40 (69 balls) in her debut innings for India at the international level.
She followed that up with another impressive show, notching up her maiden half-century (76 off 86 balls) in the 2nd ODI of the series against the West Indies in Vadodara on 24th December 2024. She scored 18 (23 balls) in her next innings in the 3rd ODI of the series against the West Indies. She inched closer to her maiden century (89 off 96 balls) but fell short by 11 runs in the 1st ODI of the subsequent series against Ireland. She was also awarded the Player of the Match for her match-winning innings with the bat for her side in the 1st ODI of the series.
She notched up her 3rd ODI half-century (67 off 61 balls) in the 2nd ODI of the series against Ireland at the Niranjan Shah Stadium. She finally got to her elusive maiden century in the ODI format in the 3rd and final ODI of the series against Ireland. She notched up her maiden century in the ODI format, reaching a special landmark off 100 balls. She capitalised on her good form and managed to take the full toll of the opportunity by getting to 150.
Freya Sargent eventually ended Pratika Rawal’s (154 off 129 balls) stay at the crease in the final ball of the 44th over of the innings, providing the much-needed 3rd breakthrough for Ireland. She also broke the record for the highest individual score for India in ODIs at home, surpassing Smriti Mandhana’s 136 against South Africa on 19th June 2024 in the 2nd ODI. Her knock included 20 boundaries and one maximum.
She ended the series as the leading run-scorer of the series with 310 runs at a strike rate of 108.39 and a mind-boggling average of 103.33 in three innings with the bat for her side. Her tally of runs included a couple of half-centuries and a century in the ODI series against Ireland. As a result of her sensational performances, she was awarded the Player of the Match in the 3rd ODI and was also named the Player of the Series against Ireland.
Pratika Rawal now has the most runs (444 runs) by any player – male or female – in her first six ODI innings, surpassing England’s Charlotte Edwards (434 runs).
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