India opener Pratika Rawal finally has the winners’ medal she feared might pass her by. Ruled out of the World Cup semi-final and final with an ankle-knee injury, she watched the decisive games from the sidelines – first on crutches, then in a wheelchair – and quietly wondered whether her own contribution would be remembered.
“I have my own medal now,” she was quoted as saying by PTI Videos. “One of the support staff had lent me theirs temporarily because mine hadn’t reached on time. Jay [Shah, ICC chairman] sir has sent me a medal, someone told me. I was so happy but people made a big deal of it online, it will take some time but will come to me.”
That understated relief set the tone for Rawal’s reflections on a campaign that brought her 308 runs, fourth-most in the tournament, before the freak mishap while fielding against Bangladesh ended her World Cup. India still went on to defeat Australia in the semi-final and South Africa in the final, thanks in no small part to her replacement, Shafali Verma, whose 87 and two wickets in the showpiece earned Player-of-the-Match honours.
“Shafali doesn’t need motivation. She plays with instinct and belief,” Rawal said. “Before the final, she came up to me and said, ‘I’m really sorry you can’t play,’ and I told her it’s fine, these things happen. I had a feeling she would do something special that day.”
The numbers back up that instinct. Verma’s 87 came at better than a run a ball, easing early nerves and allowing India’s bowlers to defend confidently. Yet Rawal’s own efforts – two centuries and seven fifties in 24 ODIs since debuting in 2024, averaging 50.45 – underline why her absence initially felt alarming inside the camp. Coach Amol Muzumdar brushed aside external noise about her strike-rate earlier in the tournament, emphasising the value of a reliable anchor at the top.
Processing the setback
Rawal studies psychology at university and leaned on that background to cope. “…as someone who has studied psychology, it really helped me to understand human emotions better – including my own,” she said. “The first thing is to accept what’s happened. You can’t undo it. Once I accepted the injury, I focused only on what I could control – recovery, sleep, nutrition, and supporting the team.”
She adds that the support system around her prevented darker moments. “There was disappointment, yes, but no breakdown. My dad was there, my coach (Shravan Kumar) kept checking on me, my mom and brother called every day. I have such a good support system. They didn’t let me spiral or feel alone,” she said.
The emotional toll on her father, though, was clear. “I don’t show emotions easily, but my dad cried a lot – I had to calm him down,” she admitted. It is a revealing line, grounding the story in everyday family dynamics even at the elite level.
Rehab and next steps
Rawal is already plotting her return. “I’m feeling a lot better now. My X-ray is due in a few days, and I’m doing most things on my own. I’ve started light mobility work too. Once the doctors clear me, I’ll start batting again. I’m very excited to return – I miss holding the bat,” she said.
“My next target is to complete rehab properly and come back for the domestic season. I don’t like rushing recovery. I’m a person who can bat all day and still not get tired – I want to get back to that zone.”
Medical staff anticipate a full recovery in time for the Indian domestic calendar, provided she avoids setbacks. Ankle-knee combinations can be tricky: strength must return evenly to prevent compensation injuries elsewhere. India’s management will therefore balance eagerness with caution, mindful that Rawal’s consistency could be central to next year’s multilateral schedule, including an away tour to England.
Context and outlook
India’s batting depth – Smriti Mandhana topping 400 runs, Verma’s all-round burst, plus contributions down the order – masked Rawal’s absence in the knockouts. Yet selection conversations rarely disappear. Once fit, Rawal, Mandhana and Verma will jostle for two opening places, with form, opposition and conditions dictating the eventual pairing.
For now, Rawal is content simply to carry a medal of her own. That tangible reminder of a shared triumph sits alongside a more personal victory: coping with enforced inactivity while still feeling part of the group. Her psychology textbooks call it “re-framing”; in plain cricket dressing-room language, it is about staying in the fight even when you cannot take guard.
Rawal has managed that, and it leaves India better stocked – physically and mentally – for the challenges to come.
