Harleen Deol Backed To Open Against Australia With Smriti Mandhana In Place Of Injured Pratika Rawal: 'Comfortable Facing The New Ball'

Pratika Rawal has been ruled out for the remainder of the ICC Women's World Cup. The Indian opener sustained an ankle injury during the Bangladesh match at DY Patil Stadium and Shafali Verma has been named as her replacement ahead of the Women's World Cup semifinal against Australia.

Harleen Deol To Open With Smriti Mandhana?

Rawal was fielding at the deep mid-wicket and twisted her ankle while making an attempt to save a boundary. Her foot was stuck in the ground, and she was in scathing pain. She was attended by the medical staff and was later carried out on the shoulders. Arundhati Reddy replaced Rawal in the match, and her injury will be a worrying sign.

The team management will now have to take a call on Rawal's replacement. She has scored a galore of runs this year, and it will be hard to replace his runs. Former Indian cricketer Mithali Raj suggested that Harleen Deol should be promoted to open the batting with Smriti Mandhana. During an interaction with JioHotstar, she said, “The question now is who opens with Smriti if Pratika isn’t fit to take the field on the 30th. The first option could be promoting number three, Harleen, since she’s often walked in early and is comfortable facing the new ball."

Also Read: BCCI Gives Official Statement On Shreyas Iyer's Injury, Issues Medical Advisory To End Suspense Around Vice-Captain's Health

Shafali Verma Needs To prove Her Worth

Shafali missed out on a place in the World Cup squad and now might have an opportunity to display his ODI credentials if she gets a chance. The youngster hasn't played an ODI match in a year, but she did prove her T20I ambitions against England earlier this year and finished as the 2nd in the run-scoring charts. She also took part in the Australia tour as part of the India A contingent. Inconsistency has been an issue, and the Women In Blue cannot afford to have any more room against the mighty Australians.

Also Read: India Announce Shafali Verma As Replacement For Injured Pratika Rawal Ahead Of Women's World Cup Semifinal Against Australia