Pratika Rawal Injury: Will She Play In IND vs AUS Women World Cup Semi-final?

India Women faced Bangladesh Women in their last league match of the ongoing ODI World Cup 2025. After a dreamy start, Team India's path to the semi-final became a bumpy ride. However, they defeated New Zealand in the previous match and qualified for the knockouts.

Their semi-final match is against rivals Australia, who are currently unbeaten in the tournament. While the match is extremely important, India's star batter, Pratika Rawal suffered an injury in the ongoing match against Bangladesh, leaving everyone in shock.

Pratika Rawal Injury: Will She Play against Australia?

While playing against Bangladesh, Pratika Rawal twisted her right ankle on the final ball of the 21st over and left the field with the help of physio and teammates. Although an official confirmation of her injury has not yet been received, it could be crucial for the team. She played a fierce knock in the last match, helping India win the match. Rawal scored 122 runs in 134 balls, including 13 boundaries and two sixes. The​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌ misfortune occurred while Bangladesh was batting at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.

The game had already been impacted by a light drizzle that lasted throughout the day, and when it resumed, some parts of the ground were still wet and uneven. As the ball went towards mid-wicket, her right foot got stuck in the moist ground, and thus she slipped and fell in immense pain.

The medical personnel rushed to the field immediately and helped her to her feet with support. She did not come back on the field for the rest of the innings, which resulted in a worry about her being able to play the knockout ​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌stages. The news didn't turn out well for the Indian fans as Rawal has been ruled out of the IND vs AUS semi final match to be played on October 30. Not only this game, she has been ruled out of the full Women's World Cup.

Huge Concern for India Ahead of the Semifinal Against Australia

Rawal's​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌ injury is a significant blow to one of the best women's cricket teams, India, since they will play a semifinal against the defending champions, Australia, which is just around the corner. Throughout the World Cup, the opener has been one of India's most impactful players, providing the team with stable starts and making strong partnerships at the top of the order. Her serenity in challenging situations and her adherence to good practices have been instrumental in India's progress through the group stage.

Rawal has been ruled out of the Women's World Cup which will give India a headache in choosing their playing XI. There is no provision for a specialist opening batsman as a backup in the current squad, so a reorganization of the batting order will be necessitated. Promoting one of the best women cricketers, Jemimah Rodrigues or Shafali Verma, to open the innings with Smriti Mandhana can be the choice, but neither of them has opened recently. The team management will decide only after seeing the results of Rawal’s scan.

In the last league match, Amanjot Kaur opened the batting with Smriti Mandhana. The injury situation is also a reminder of the physical challenge of the long tournament in humid conditions and with a tight schedule. The Indian women's national cricket team will wish that it is not a serious one that leads to Rawal being out of the semifinal match.