Pratika Rawal reflected on the historic Women’s World Cup final in India last month, where the team beat South Africa to win the ICC title for the first time. She missed the final after ankle and knee injuries sustained in a league match against Bangladesh ruled her out of the tournament.
Although he does not play Pratika joined the celebrations in her wheelchair after the Indian triumph. Describing an emotional whirlwind during the final in Navi Mumbai, she admitted she was not looking at the last ball when Harmanpreet Kaur took the decisive catch to dismiss Nadine de Klerk.
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“Sitting outside and watching the Indian players lift the trophy – I still felt great because my team had done something that hadn’t been done before,” Pratika said at the Revsportz conclave in Kolkata.
“A lot of emotions went through me. I didn’t see the last ball. Someone from management said, ‘Let’s go down.’ I saw it later in the lights. And then my father went crazy. It was a game changer for women’s cricket. I am speechless,” added Pratika.
WHEN DID PRACTICE COME BACK?
Despite missing the semi-finals and final, Pratika played a key role in India’s World Cup campaign, finishing as the tournament’s fourth-highest scorer. In seven matches, the Delhi batsman scored 308 runs at an average of 51.33, including a top score of 122 against New Zealand.
She is one of only two Indian batsmen, alongside Smriti Mandhan, to score 1,000 or more runs in ODIs in a single calendar year.
Following the injury, Pratika was sidelined for about four months and also missed out on the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026 despite being selected by UP Warriorz.
She made her comeback in the Indian ODI team for the tour of Australia and scored 79 runs in three matches. Pratika later made her pink-ball Test debut at the WACA in Perth, scoring 63 in the second innings, although India lost by 10 wickets.
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Issued by:
sabyasachi chowdhury
Published on:
17 March 2026 21:43 IST
