India confirm Pratika Rawal's replacement in squad ahead of AUS vs IND Women's World Cup 2025 semifinal

The Indian Women's team confirmed Pratika Rawal's replacement in the squad ahead of the semifinal against Australia. The Women in Blue will face Australia in the all-important clash on Thursday, October 30.

Explosive opener Shafali Verma has been called in as Pratika Rawal's replacement. (via ICC) Notably, Shafali was left out of the squad due to inconsistency. She has been away from the ODI set-up since October 2024.

During India's final league stage match against Bangladesh, Pratika picked up a severe injury while fielding. While running in, she got ahead of the ball. In an attempt to turn backwards, she twisted her ankle and fell on the ground. A stretcher was brought to help her off the field immediately. The BCCI Medical team were monitoring her injury, however, she has now been ruled out.

Shafali Verma made a strong comeback after being left out of the World Cup squad. Playing recently for India A during the warm-up game against New Zealand, she smashed a 49-ball 70.

Despite Pratika Rawal being in top form, Shafali coming in for the big clash against the defending champions could be a blessing in disguise for India. They will fancy some firepower at the top. Should Shafali walk into the playing 11, she will be keen to make the most of the opportunity.

So far, she has played 29 ODIs and 90 T20Is. Her experience could come in handy for the hosts.

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Will Pratika Rawal blow affect India?

Pratika Rawal was in brilliant form for the Women in Blue in the ongoing World Cup. She scored 308 runs from six innings at an average of 51.33 with a hundred and a half-century.

The opener made 122 runs off 134 balls with 13 boundaries and two maximums against New Zealand. Since her ODI debut in December 2024, she has featured in 24 matches. In 23 innings, she has scored 1110 runs at an average of 50.45 with two hundreds and seven half-centuries.

While the idea of an explosive Shafali Verma could be pleasing to hear, it is worth noting that she has not played an ODI for a year. Therefore, losing an in-form batter in Pratika could be a fatal blow in a big semifinal clash against Australia.