Pratika Rawal on the Verge of ODI History, Eyes Record Held by Shubman Gill

Rising Indian batting sensation Pratika Rawal is on the brink of creating history in Women's One Day Internationals (ODIs), with just six runs separating her from becoming the fastest Indian—across both men’s and women’s cricket—to reach 500 runs in the format.

The 24-year-old opener has tallied an impressive 494 runs in just seven innings at an average of 82.33, featuring one century and four half-centuries. Her top score of 154 came against Ireland earlier this year in Rajkot, a knock that announced her arrival on the big stage.

Currently, the record for the fastest woman to 500 ODI runs is held by former England captain Charlotte Edwards, who achieved the feat in nine innings. If Rawal crosses the 500-run mark in her next outing—India’s clash with South Africa in the second match of the tri-nation series in Colombo—she will break Edwards' long-standing record.

On the global list combining both men’s and women’s ODIs, Rawal has a chance to become the second-fastest ever, just behind South Africa’s Janneman Malan, who accomplished the feat in seven innings. More significantly for Indian cricket, she is poised to surpass Shubman Gill’s record of fastest to 500 ODI runs by an Indian, which he achieved in his 10th innings in 2022.

Among Indian women, Mithali Raj currently holds the record, having reached the 500-run milestone in 13 innings.

Rawal’s rise has been swift and consistent. After replacing Shafali Verma as Smriti Mandhana’s opening partner during the West Indies series last year, she has made the most of every opportunity. On Sunday, she was named Player of the Match for her unbeaten 50 off 62 balls that guided India to a nine-wicket win over Sri Lanka in a rain-affected match at the R Premadasa Stadium.

“It’s years of hard work that’s coming into place now,” Rawal said after the match. “I’m very lucky, very fortunate I got this opportunity. I'm just trying to play on the merit of the ball—nothing more goes into my mind.”

With the spotlight firmly on her, all eyes will be on Rawal as she steps onto the field against South Africa, potentially to etch her name into the record books.

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