Pratika Rawal Returns: India Add Top-Order Star to ODI Squad for Australia Tour

Pratika Rawal has been added to India’s ODI squad in Australia, returning as the 16th member for the three-match series that sits between the ongoing T20Is and the one-off Test in the tour’s multi-format, points-based schedule. India currently lead the T20I leg 1-0, but the focus has now widened with Rawal’s recovery opening the door for an earlier international comeback than expected.

Rawal has not played since October 26, 2025, when she suffered knee and ankle injuries while fielding during the ODI World Cup match against Bangladesh in Navi Mumbai. Though she had already been named in India’s Test squad for the Australia leg, her inclusion in the ODI group suggests selectors see her ready to return to frontline action. In a statement, the BCCI confirmed Rawal has completed her rehabilitation at the BCCI Centre of Excellence and has fully recovered from the ankle injury.

The 21-year-old has been one of India’s most reliable emerging batters since making her ODI debut in December 2024. In 23 ODI innings, she has scored 1110 runs at an average of 50.45 and a strike rate of 82.83, numbers that underline both consistency and tempo at the top of the order. Her record already includes two centuries and seven half-centuries, with several match-shaping starts that quickly established her as a first-choice opener.

Rawal carried that form into the World Cup, posting scores of 37, 31, 37, 6 and a superb 122 before injury cut her tournament short. During her absence, Shafali Verma returned to the ODI side as Rawal’s replacement and went on to play a defining role in the World Cup final against South Africa, earning Player-of-the-Match honours for a rapid 87 off 78 balls and two wickets.

Rawal’s rise was further recognised this month when she received a BCCI central contract in Grade C, announced on February 9. With her fitness restored, India now regain a high-output opener ahead of a demanding Australia assignment, strengthening a squad led by Harmanpreet Kaur, with Smriti Mandhana as vice-captain.