India’s World Cup campaign has been dealt a major blow, with in-form opener Pratika Rawal ruled out of the ongoing ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 after sustaining an ankle and knee injury during the team’s last league-stage fixture against Bangladesh at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on October 26.
Rawal, who was fielding near the boundary ropes in the rain-affected encounter, slipped and fell awkwardly while attempting to prevent a boundary. In visible discomfort, the 25-year-old was helped off the field and did not return to play any further part in the game, which was eventually abandoned due to persistent rain.
Scans have revealed a hairline fracture, though the encouraging news is that no surgery is required at this stage. Rawal has been advised a minimum of three weeks of rest and will undergo fresh scans thereafter to determine her rehabilitation plan. She is currently wearing a moonboot and will report to the BCCI Centre of Excellence for recovery.
Rawal’s injury comes at an unfortunate time, she had been in stellar form throughout the tournament, scoring her maiden World Cup century in the previous game against New Zealand. The right-hander also became the joint-fastest player to reach 1000 ODI runs and was on the brink of becoming only the second Indian woman to amass 1000 runs in a calendar year.
In a heartfelt message on social media, Rawal expressed her disappointment but also extended her support to the team, posting, “Tough to sit out due to injury, but my heart is with the team. Best of luck, India! 🇮🇳❤️”
Though Pratika had a quiet start and was constantly under scrutiny for her strike rate and dot-ball percentage, she built on her early scores of 37, 31, and 37 with a fluent 75 against Australia and a brilliant 122 against New Zealand. She also shared a record 212-run partnership with Smriti Mandhana. As the league stage concluded, Pratika was ranked as the second-highest run-scorer, with Mandhana leading the chart.
India’s camp also faces fitness concerns over wicketkeeper-batter Richa Ghosh, who suffered a finger injury in the New Zealand game and was rested against Bangladesh. Backup keeper Uma Chetry made her debut in that fixture.
With Rawal ruled out, Shafali Verma has been approved by the ICC Event Technical Committee as her replacement in the Indian squad ahead of the knockout stage.
India will now rely on its depth and collective resolve as they gear up for a high-stakes semifinal against defending champions Australia, without one of their brightest young stars.
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