Mumbai, Feb 17 (IANS) Pratika Rawal has been added to India’s squad for the upcoming three-ODI series in Australia after successfully completing her rehabilitation from injuries, the BCCI said on Tuesday.
The ODI leg of the multi-format series against Australia begins on February 24 with the first game in Brisbane, followed by the other two in Hobart. India women are currently leading 1-0 in the ongoing T20I leg, which will conclude on February 21. Perth will host the only Test on March 6.
Rawal has been out of action since October 26 after sustaining injuries to her right ankle and knee during the washed-out Women’s World Cup league stage match against Bangladesh and, as a result, was ruled out of the tournament’s knockout games. She had earlier earned her maiden Test call-up for the one-off Test against Australia.
“The Women’s Selection Committee has added Pratika Rawal to India’s squad for the three-match ODI series against Australia women, which is part of the ongoing multi-format tour of Australia.
“Pratika Rawal has completed her rehabilitation at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (COE) and has fully recovered from her ankle injury sustained in October during the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025,” the BCCI said in a statement.
Before her injury, the 24-year-old opening batter had been one of India’s standout performers in the ODI World Cup, finishing as the second-highest run-scorer for the team with 308 runs, including a century and a half-century.
Rawal made her ODI debut in December 2024 and was an immediate success. In 24 innings, she has 1110 runs at an average of 50.45 and strike rate of 82.83 and has made big contributions at the top of the order, hitting two centuries and seven half-centuries.
Her impressive performance saw the top-order batter her maiden BCCI central contract earlier this month.
India’s updated squad for the ODI series against Australia: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana (vc), Shafali Verma, Renuka Thakur, Sree Charani, Vaishnavi Sharma, Kranti Gaud, Sneh Rana, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (wk), Uma Chetry (wk), Kashvee Gautam, Amanjot Kaur, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harleen Deol, Pratika Rawal
–IANS
bc/