India coach Amol Muzumdar jumped to the defense of Pratika Rawal when the opener was criticized for her success during the ongoing Women’s World Cup 2025. Pratika was the second highest run-getter for India during the tournament, scoring 186 runs in five matches.
She scored a 50 during the tournament, but her pass rate was 70.99, the second lowest among the top ten players. This has forced her to deal with criticism from fans who want to see India on the front foot in the powerplays. In the pre-match press conference ahead of the New Zealand clash, Muzumdar was asked by India Today if there was any discussion on the strike issues of Pratika and Harleen Deol. Harleen’s strike-rate was 75.11 during the tournament.
Pointing out how great the Indian opener has been since her international debut, the Indian coach said the whole team is behind her and Harleen.
“I mean, if you look at Pratika Rawal’s performance since she made her debut in international cricket last December, she averages around 50 and her strike rate is around 82, 83 if I’m not mistaken.
“I think it’s fantastic and we’d love for her to continue the way she’s been batting and the whole team is behind her and Harleen as well. And, you know, I don’t think there’s been any discussion on that particular topic,” Muzumdar said.
The Indian coach also said that he was not sure why the topic of strike rate came up with Pratika as she had a good start to life in international cricket.
“I don’t know why this is happening. She has been fantastic with the group. They have taken to international cricket like fish to water, so we support her wholeheartedly,” Muzumdar said.
“Combination maybe different from New Zealand”
India went with a sixth bowler for the match against England, he drops Jemimah Rodrigues in the process. Muzumdar said that the Indian batsman took a good decision and hinted that the combination may be different for the game in Navi Mumbai.
“It was one of the tough attempts because given the circumstances and conditions in Indore, we opted for the 6th bowling option and that’s why one of the batsmen had to sit and watch that combination. But it was tough.”
“She took it really well and that’s what Jemimah is all about. She’s fantastic as a group. A great role model for everyone in the team. She took it really well and very sportingly. I appreciate it. We’re going game by game.”
“The conditions in Indore were different. The conditions here in Navi Mumbai are different and we will have a good chat in the evening and have a fair talk about what we want to do. Maybe the combination will be different,” Muzumdar said.
India will face New Zealand in a do-or-diet clash on Thursday, October 23.
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Published on:
October 22, 2025
