Former India captain Mithali Raj has raised doubts about India’s opening strategy for the crucial semifinal against Australia if Pratika Rawal remains unfit. The young opener hurt her knee and ankle while fielding in the group-stage clash with Bangladesh on Sunday.
The BCCI confirmed the medical team is monitoring her recovery closely. The Women in Blue face Australia on Thursday in Navi Mumbai.
“Team India all-rounder Pratika Rawal sustained an injury to her knee and ankle while fielding in the first innings against Bangladesh. The BCCI Medical Team is closely monitoring her progress,” said the statement.
Harleen Deol and Uma Chetry Among Top Contenders
During her analysis on Cricket Live, Mithali highlighted her surprise at Amanjot Kaur opening the innings against Bangladesh.
“The question now is who opens with Smriti if Pratika isn’t fit to take the field on the 30th. The first option could be promoting number three, Harleen, since she’s often walked in early and is comfortable facing the new ball. The other option is Uma Chetry, but if Richa Ghosh returns as wicketkeeper, then Uma might sit out. Ideally, today was a great opportunity for Harleen to open and build that equation with Smriti, assuming Pratika might not be available. If Pratika is fit, the same batting line-up continues. But sending Amanjot to open was something I did not quite understand. Yes, she needed some time out in the middle, but perhaps she could’ve slotted in at number three instead of opening,” said the Indian legend.
Pratika has excelled with 308 runs in six innings, averaging 51.33, including one century and one fifty.
Harleen Deol has built consistency at number three, accumulating 828 runs in 24 innings at an average of 36.00. Uma Chetry has also shown promise, registering scores of 38 and 45 in warm-up games before the tournament.
Veda Krishnamurthy Flags Lack of Backup Batter
Former India cricketer Veda Krishnamurthy pointed out another concern — the absence of a specialist batter on the bench.
“What is the injury situation with Pratika? Can India bring in a replacement from outside if needed? Because right now, there is no specialist batter in the dugout. The players who did not feature were Arundhati, Kranti Goud, Sneh Rana, and Richa Ghosh; and while Richa can come in as wicketkeeper, there’s still no spare batter. Depending on Pratika’s scan results, India might need to consider adding an opener from outside the squad for the semi-final against Australia. You cannot go into a knockout game with a makeshift opener,” she concluded.
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