The Smriti Mandhana-led India women’s national cricket team is facing a major injury scare ahead of the knockout matches of the ongoing ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 in Navi Mumbai. India is all set to face Australia in the second semi-final at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.
India’s last league match against Bangladesh Women was abandoned due to heavy rain, but the hosts still managed to finish among the top four teams in the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 points table, having won the first three games in the tournament.
Big blow for India before the knockout of ICC Women’s World Cup 2025, Smriti Mandhana’s partner Pratika Rawal injured.
Pratika Raval suffered painful knee and ankle injuries while fielding against Bangladesh. The incident came to light on the last ball of the 21st over of the rain-affected match when Bangladesh batsman Sharmin Ekter pulled Deepti Sharma’s ball towards the boundary.
Also read: “India needed me…”: Ajinkya Rahane exposes Ajit Agarkar over lack of communication in brutal attack
Rawal moved quickly from the corner of the cow but her ankle got stuck as her foot got stuck in the wet ground. She fell on the ground holding her leg in pain, which was immediately attended to by the medical staff. Although a stretcher was brought onto the field, Raval decided to walk off with the assistance of the physio.
With Rawal unable to take the field, Amanjot Kaur started the chase with Smriti Mandhana at the top of the order. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) later confirmed that Pratika Raval’s condition is being closely monitored by the medical team.
“The BCCI medical team is closely monitoring his progress,” the BCCI said in a statement.
Harmanpreet Kaur hopeful as Pratika Rawal undergoes treatment for knee injury
Raval’s injury is particularly worrying, as he has been one of India’s top performers in the ongoing tournament. The 25-year-old has scored 308 runs in six innings at an impressive average of 51.33, including a match-winning century against New Zealand, which helped India seal a place in the semi-finals.
Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur revealed that they are keeping a close eye on her injury and the team is hopeful that she will make a quick recovery and return to action soon.
After the match, Harmanpreet Kaur said, “Pratika – our medical team will give an update on her. They are taking care of her injury, and hopefully she will be back soon.”
Also read: Ajit Agarkar exposed! Virat Kohli’s teammate claims, domestic cricket has no meaning for selectors, only IPL matters.
Injury concerns increase for India after rain-affected match against Bangladesh was canceled
Adding to the concern, Radha Yadav also appeared to twist her leg while fielding towards the end of the innings, but quickly recovered and continued bowling in her final league match against Bangladesh.
Now, the Indian team is hopeful that Raval will recover in time, as his presence at the top has been one of the biggest strengths in their ICC World Cup 2025 campaign so far.
Meanwhile, the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 match between India and Bangladesh was heavily affected by rain, with the start being delayed by two hours and reduced to 43 overs per side. Another torrential rain forced the match to be limited to 27 overs of play.
Despite the interruptions, Bangladesh could only manage 119 for 9 and India started the chase strongly and reached 57 without loss, but play was abandoned due to another round of rain.
