Pratic Rawal (Photo: Pankaj Pankaj Pankaj Panka/getty Images) Navi Mumbai: The big blow to India’s campaign came just 48 hours before the 2025 Women’s World Cup ODI semi-final clash against powerhouse Australia at the DY Patil Stadium. In-form opener Pratika Rawal has been ruled out of the rest of the tournament due to knee and ankle injuries sustained during India’s last league match against Bangladesh at the same venue on Sunday night. With the match suspended due to unrelenting, unseasonal rain, Rawal twisted her ankle in the 21st over of Bangladesh’s innings after falling awkwardly while charging at a ball at deep mid-wicket. With the help of the team’s support staff, she limped off the field.
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While the drainage system at the DY Patil Stadium is good and the main square and much of the ground were covered during the rain, there were significant pools of water in the outfield in unprotected areas. The 25-year-old Delhi batsman was India’s second-highest run-scorer in the World Cup after her senior partner Smriti Mandhana, scoring 308 runs in six matches at 51.33, including a half-century against Australia and a 134-ball 122 against New Zealand. Rawal has shown remarkable consistency since her debut against West Indies in Vadodara in December last year, scoring 1110 runs in 23 WODIs at 50.45, with seven fifties and two hundreds. While scoring a century against New Zealand on Thursday, Rawal became the joint fastest with Australia’s Lindsay Reeler to complete 1,000 WODI runs in 23 innings. Along with his senior partner Smriti Mandhana, the young gun formed an extremely prolific partnership – the pair shared a record 212-run stand (India’s highest in World Cups) against New Zealand. The BCCI released an update on her injury on Sunday evening, which read: “Indian all-rounder Pratika Rawal suffered knee and ankle injuries while batting in the first innings against Bangladesh. BCCI’s medical team is closely monitoring her progress.” Pratika underwent scans after the injury. With Pratika injured, it was all-rounder Amanjot Kaur (15 not out) who opened India’s innings with Mandhana (34 not out, 27b, 6×4) as India, asked to chase 127 in 27 overs under the D/L method in a rain-restricted match before a rain-hit match, reached 57 for no loss in the rain-interrupted fifth over.
