New Delhi, She is only six games old in international cricket but in Delhi opener Pratika Rawal, India may have found the top-order batter they were looking for ahead of the Women’s ODI World Cup at home later this year.
Pratika, daughter of a BCCI umpire and a psychology graduate, has had a dream start to her India career with a record 444 runs in six innings at a very impressive average of 74.
Replacing the accomplished Shafali Verma at the top of the order, the 24-year-old rookie did feel the pressure on her international debut against the West Indies three weeks ago but clarity of thought and supreme confidence in her ability enabled her to get better with every game.
From a sub-60 strike rate in her opening game to piling on the runs at a rate of 95.58 a few matches later, Pratika did make huge strides in a short span of time.
Former India pacer Amita Sharma, who has tracked Pratika’s career closely as the Delhi chief selector, is not one bit surprised at the opener’s stellar run against West Indies and Ireland.
“Pratika started playing for Railways from this season onwards but I have seen her play since the time she emerged in Delhi cricket five-six years ago. She always stood out with her skill and work ethic.
“The best part about her game is that she has a water tight defense and if the situation demands she can also come up with the big hits like she showed against West Indies and Ireland. With every innings she got better,” Amita, one of the finest pacers to have come out of India, told PTI.
Pratika collected three 50-plus scores in as many games against Ireland and reserved her best for the last ODI in which she slammed 154 off 129 balls and shared a 233-run stand with Smriti Mandhana to power India to a record 435 for five.
Her strokeplay all around the wicket has caught the eye of many. She plays the inside out drive off extra cover as well as employs the pull and the sweep.
Pratika, who is also a basketball gold medalist, might not appear to have the strength of Shafali but she has a rare ability to clear the ropes.
“As she has replaced Shafali in the team, there will be comparisons with her. I feel there should be none as they both are very different players. However, she may not have come across as a six-hitter in these two series but I can tell you that she can hit the ball longer than Shafali,” said Amita who took 87 wickets for India in 116 ODIs.
The fact that she has been a student of psychology has helped her play with an uncluttered mind that is needed to excel at the highest level.
With Shafali making a strong case for a comeback with a mountain of runs in domestic cricket, the competition to become Smriti Mandhana’s partner has got more intense.
Pratika got the runs against the less established sides and she is yet to prove herself against the biggies of the women’s game Australia and England.
If Amita has her way, she would keep both Shafali and Pratika in the playing XI.
“If I was a selector, I would have both Shafali and Pratika in the playing XI come the ODI World Cup. You need the firepower of an in-form Shafali at the top to complement Smriti and Pratika can come in at number 3. With the all-round game that Pratika has, she will do just as well as she has done as an opener,” reckoned Amita.
Having played at number three in domestic cricket, Pratika gives selectors that option. It would be interesting to see how India’s top-order unravels in the build-up to the World Cup in August-September.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
