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Who can open in place of injured Pratika Rawal vs AUS? Mithali Raj gives her verdict

Shreyasi

Pratika Rawan ruled out of Women's ODI WC 2025 [Source: X/BCCIWomen]Pratika Rawan ruled out of Women's ODI WC 2025 [Source: X/BCCIWomen]

Mithali Raj expressed concerns over the fitness of Pratika Rawal ahead of the semi-final against Australia in the Women’s ODI World Cup 2025. She said that Harleen Deol and wicketkeeper-batter Uma Chetry could take up the spot in place of Pratika.

Mithali names probable replacements for injured Pratika Rawal

Pratika Rawal, the young opener of Indian cricket team sustained an injury to her knee and ankle during the first innings of India’s final group stage match against Bangladesh on Sunday. The medical team of Board of Control for Cricket in India initially said that her progress is being monitored closely. However, recent reports suggest that Pratika has been ruled out of the World Cup.

In absence of Pratika, team India will need a partner for Smriti Mandhana at the top. Speaking of the same, former India captain Mithali Raj expressed her concerns over the opening combination of the team in the semi-final against Australia. Pratika Rawal is the second-highest run-scorer in the tournament with 308 runs in six innings at an average of 51.33 with the best score of 122. She explained,

"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.”

Mithali surprised to see Amarjot open with Smriti 

During the chat show 'Cricket Live', JioStar expert Mithali Raj earlier expressed surprise to see the all-rounder Amanjot Kaur open the innings against Bangladesh. She scored 15* before rain washed out the remainder of the match as India were poised to chase down 120.

“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."

Veda Krishnamurthy expresses concern

Veda Krishnamurthy, another JioStar expert meanwhile questioned if India bring in a replacement. With no specialist batter available as a spare in the squad, India might need someone from outside in the knockout stage as per Veda.

"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."