Pratikya Rawal’s comeback story adds firepower to India’s women’s ODI lineup against Australia. The BCCI revealed Tuesday that the prolific opener rejoins the fold after conquering a World Cup injury, ready for the three-match series starting February 24.
Brisbane hosts the curtain-raiser, with Hobart staging the next two. This ODI phase slots in after the T20I series—India leading 1-0, ending February 21—and precedes the Perth Test on March 6, in a grueling multi-format battle.
Injured on October 26 in a rain-hit World Cup game versus Bangladesh, Rawal missed crucial knockouts despite her prior Test selection. The 24-year-old’s rehab at BCCI’s elite facility paved the way for this recall.
World Cup star with 308 runs (century, half-century), she ranked second in scoring. Her ODI journey since December 2024: 1110 runs in 24 innings, averaging 50.45 at 82.83 strike rate, securing a landmark central contract.
Selection committee’s nod reflects her readiness: ‘Included for the three ODIs as part of the Australia multi-format tour; fully recovered from ankle injury.’
India’s refreshed squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana (vc), Shafali Verma, Renuka Thakur, Sri Charani, Vaishnavi Sharma, Kranti Gaud, Sneh Rana, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (wk), Uma Chetry (wk), Kashvi Gautam, Amanjot Kaur, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harleen Deol, Pratikya Rawal.
Rawal’s return injects vitality, positioning India to exploit Australia’s conditions and extend their series edge.