Cricket fans are eagerly waiting IndiaThe much awaited one-off women’s test against EnglandWhich is going to start on July 10 at the prestigious Lord’s Cricket Ground in London. The clash promises to be a memorable occasion as two of the strongest teams in women’s cricket face off at the historic venue, often referred to as the “Home of Cricket”. With both sides having a mix of experienced stars and exciting young talent, expectations for a tough contest are high. However, just a day before the match, India suffered an unfortunate blow with one of their promising batsmen getting injured.
Shock for India due to Pratika Rawal’s exclusion
After this, India’s preparations for the prestigious test have been disrupted. Pratika Rawal Was out due to knee injury. The star batsman suffered a knee injury during the second ODI against England and was subsequently unavailable for the third and final match of the series. Despite hopes of a speedy recovery, Raval has now been officially ruled out of the one-off Test at Lord’s.
This injury has come as another disappointing chapter in Raval’s recent career. Last year she missed both the semi-finals and the final Women’s ODI World Cup She has previously sat out the Women’s Premier League due to injury concerns. She finally made a comeback during India’s ODI tour of Australia and was working towards returning to the national setup.
Earlier this year, Raval achieved a significant feat by making his Test debut against Australia at the WACA ground. So missing out on the Lord’s Test is a disappointing blow for the young batsman, who was hoping to add another memorable chapter to his red-ball journey. His absence has left India short of one batting option, forcing the team management to make late adjustments ahead of one of their biggest tasks of the year.
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Replacement for injured Raval announced
Indian selectors have decided the name Priya Punia As Raval’s replacement for the Lord’s Test. Punia was already in England as part of the India A team, making him an ideal choice to join the senior team at short notice. Although Punia is yet to earn his first Test cap, he has been in excellent form. The left-handed batsman impressed during the India A tour by scoring consecutive half-centuries against England A, displaying composure and consistency in English conditions.
Her recent performances have strengthened her contention for a place in the playing eleven and the team management will hope that if given a chance, she can maintain that momentum in the senior team as well. Punia’s inclusion also gives India an experienced domestic batsman, who has previously represented the country in white-ball cricket. While it is never easy to replace Raval, his familiarity with the conditions could prove valuable during the one-off Test.
Updated Indian team for Lord’s Test: Harmanpreet Kaur (Captain), Smriti Mandhana (Vice-Captain), Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (WK), Shree Charani, Yastika Bhatia (WK), Nandini Sharma, Harleen Deol, Renuka Thakur, Kranti Gaur, Sayali Satghare, Sneh Rana and Priya Punia.
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This article was first published here WomenCricket.comA Cricket Times Company.