Pratika Rawal's Stellar Innings Powers India to 330
In an exhilarating Women’s World Cup match, Pratika Rawal emerged as a key player for India, scoring a vital 75 runs against Australia. This impressive innings significantly contributed to India posting a total of 330 runs, setting a challenging target for their opponents. Alongside fellow opener Smriti Mandhana, Rawal built a remarkable partnership of 155 runs, becoming only the second opening pair in Women’s World Cup history to achieve a 100-run partnership against Australia.
Rawal expressed her happiness in a mid-innings chat, noting her delight at converting her solid start into a big total. She admitted to experiencing struggles during her innings, where she faced a lot of dot balls. However, her determination and focus allowed her to play the ball on its merit, ultimately leading to a significant contribution to the team’s score.
Mandhana, too, played a crucial role in the innings, reaching her fifty in just 46 balls. Rawal followed suit, achieving her fifty off 69 balls. The pitch conditions were much more favorable compared to their previous match against South Africa, which aided in their batting performance. Mandhana's innings was particularly noteworthy as she became the fastest woman to score 5000 ODI runs, along with being the first player to surpass 1000 ODI runs within a calendar year in women’s cricket.
Despite their strong start, the Indian team lost Mandhana for 80 runs, and shortly after, Rawal was dismissed by Annabel Sutherland in the 31st over. Before her departure, Rawal had opportunities to score big in the tournament but had managed only starts in previous matches against Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and South Africa.
After the two openers were dismissed, the middle order continued to build on the score, with Harleen Deol contributing 38, Harmanpreet Kaur adding 22, and Jemimah Rodrigues scoring 33 off just 21 balls. Richa Ghosh also chipped in with 32 off 22 deliveries. As a result, India set a daunting total, leaving Australia with the highest successful run chase in Women’s ODI history to overcome.
Despite a late fightback from Australia, with Annabel Sutherland taking 5 wickets for 40 runs, India managed to put up a challenging score. With the current record for the highest chase being 302 runs, set by Sri Lanka against South Africa last year, the stage is set for an exciting finish in this World Cup clash.
