Indian batter Pratika Rawal is all set to return to the national side when India takes on England in the one-off Test at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground in London next month. Pratika was not named in India’s squad for the Women’s T20 World Cup starting June 12 in England. Infact, she is yet to make her debut in the format.
Her ability to score at a swift pace and consolidate good starts held her in good stead particularly at the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup, where she scored 308 runs. A dependable force at the top of the order, her campaign in the quadrennial showpiece was cut short due to a severe ankle and knee injury. Shafali Verma, who was dropped from the setup due to poor form, took her place commendably and played a crucial role in India’s eventual triumph.
Ahead of an important summer of cricket for India in England, here is everything you need to know about the Indian opener.
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Pratika’s cricketing journey began in Delhi, where she grew up in a sports-loving household. Her father, Pradeep Rawal (also a BCCI-certified Level-I umpire of the Delhi & District Cricket Association), helped shape her early days in the sport as she moved through age-group cricket with a reputation for being technically and temperamentally sound. Pratika also dabbled in basketball before choosing cricket full time.
She made her senior domestic debut for Delhi in 2021 and soon became one of the side’s more dependable batters. She went on to lead Delhi to the final of the Under-23 T20 tournament. Ahead of the 2024 domestic season, she moved to Railways, a switch that helped raise her visibility even further.
Her big international break came in late 2024, when she was called up by India for the ODI series against the West Indies. She made an immediate impression with scores of 40, 76 and 18. It was in the home series against Ireland that Pratika really came into her own. She struck 154 in a memorable innings and built a massive opening stand with Smriti Mandhana. With India having dropped Shafali by then, Pratika made a solid statement to make that spot her own, particularly in the run-up to the ODI World Cup later that year.
She backed this up with two half centuries in the ODI tri-series featuring Sri Lanka and South Africa in the island nation and a steady 64 against Australia in the home ODI series heading into the World Cup.
At the big event, Pratika initially struggled to build on promising starts. She made a commendable 96-ball 75 against Australia in Visakhapatnam, a game where the Aussies pulled off a nervy three-wicket win. But it was against New Zealand where she really put on a show, alongside Smriti, scoring a sublime 134-ball 122 in what was a 212-run stand with the veteran opener. That win against the White Ferns proved crucial in securing India a place in the semifinal, a knockout game she would eventually miss due to an injury she picked up in India’s final group game against Bangladesh in Navi Mumbai.
A long injury layoff caused her to miss the 2026 edition of the Women’s Premier League and the entire domestic season. She was, however, picked by WPL franchise UP Warriors for Rs. 50 Lakh in the auction, with the management identifying her as a talent to groom for the future.
Pratika made her comeback from injury in 2026 during India’s tour of Australia, featuring yet again in the ODIs and the lone Test alone. She was dismissed for a duck by Megan Schutt in her first game back, but managed a fighting half century in the next fixture. The series, overall, was one to forget for India. After a historic triumph in the T20I leg — its first in 10 years on Australian soil — India tamely lost the ODIs 0-3.
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Pratika made her Test debut in the one-off Test against Australia at Perth managing scores of 18 (43 balls) and 63 (137) but Australia was too strong at home, clinching the fixture by 10 wickets. She will hope to make amends when the Test whites come calling again in England this summer.
So why is Pratika yet to get a run in T20Is?
She missed out on selection for the T20i side which featured in a 1-2 loss to England and was not picked for the T20 World Cup either. She is to directly feature in the historic Test against England at Lord’s five days after the World Cup concludes.
Pratika’s solidity in ODIs has come at a sluggish striking rate, so while she brings stability, a game that prioritises quick scoring doesn’t suit her playing style. The Indian T20I setup also has a settled top six, with Shafali and Smriti opening, and jostle for middle order places between Yastika Bhatia (who has returned to the setup after a long injury layoff herself), Jemimah Rodrigues, and Harmanpreet Kaur.
Given she brings just batting to the table, the current T20I setup has no spaces for her to fill, the way she does in the longer formats.
