It is rare for an athlete to have multiple career options to choose from. Opening batter Pratika Rawal had the luxury of pursuing any of the three – cricket, basketball, and possibly academics, as she was good at studies. She eventually chose cricket and will not regret her decision as she has firmly ensconced herself in the Indian team with her brilliant performances, mainly with the bat.
One of her finest performances came in the most crucial match for India, against New Zealand in the ongoing 50-over World Cup on October 23 in Mumbai. The 25-year-old scored a smashing century – along with co-centurion Smriti Mandhana – to help cement India’s place in the semi-finals. Pratika’s 134-ball 122 (13x4s, 2x6s) and her 212-run opening wicket partnership with Smriti were instrumental in India’s 53-run win against the Kiwis.
But in the next league match against Bangladesh, an inconsequential outing from India’s qualification point of view, Pratika slipped while fielding, injured her ankle, and was ruled out of the India-Australia semi-final encounter to be played on October 30. The injury came as a body blow to India’s second-highest run-scorer in the league phase, behind Smriti. While Pratika tallied 308 in six innings, Smriti aggregated 365 in seven league matches.
Shafali Verma, initially overlooked due to her poor form, has replaced Pratika in the Indian team. Interestingly, it was Shafali whom Pratika had replaced in the Indian ODI squad for the home series against West Indies last year.
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Traditional way of batting
Pratika bats in the traditional mould, something that often attracts criticism. So, when she faced the media after her brisk century against New Zealand, the inevitable question popped up.
“Regarding the strike rate, there are certain templates that I like to play on. So, I’ve had a lot of discussions with the coaches. I’ve had a number of talks about how I can progress with my game; what’s my contribution to the team. So, on that front, I think I just try to contribute whatever is best for the team,” Pratika said.
Despite the perceived slow batting, Pratika became the joint-fastest to reach 1,000 runs in ODIs, along with Australia’s Lindsay Reeler, while scoring the century at the DY Patil Sports Academy, Navi Mumbai.
Partnership with Smriti
Pratika and Smriti form a successful opening partnership. They complement each other, and the left-right combination poses more problems for the opposition. So, when both scored centuries against New Zealand — their seventh opening-wicket century partnership — the Man of the Match adjudicators would have been torn to pick one. They finally chose Smriti for her 95-ball 109 – and possibly for taking three catches
Smriti herself was surprised she was picked ahead of Pratika and said she would like to share the award. “We are similar people in that we want to do the job; we do not talk a lot in the middle other than how many runs are needed and things like that. She is a good anchor and really allows me to play my natural game. When she gets going, I can chip in with the anchor role. That really works for us,” Smriti said.
The early days
Pratika, daughter of an umpire, learnt the early lessons from renowned coach Sharwan Kumar at the Ramjas Sports Complex, Patel Nagar, New Delhi.
“Pratika’s father used to do local umpiring and knew me. He said he wanted me to teach her cricket. She must have been eight or nine at the time. They used to live near the Ramjas Sports Complex, where I used to coach. She used to come to the ground with her mother, and when the mother wouldn’t come, Pratika’s grandfather would accompany her. When she grew up, she would come on the scooty,” Kumar, 72, told Patriot.
“She had spark in her game. I gifted her an English willow bat, the Protos brand, because she used to play well. Technically, she was sound and would score runs,” said the coach, who has also produced former India pacer Ishant Sharma and current speedster Harshit Rana, besides India woman cricketers Simran Dil Bahadur, Priya Mishra and Pooja Mahto, who went on to represent Nepal.
In pursuit of more exposure, Pratika switched from Bal Bharti School (Ganga Ram branch) to Modern School (Barakhamba Road) under the sports quota – and flourished. She went on to represent Delhi and was particularly prolific in three seasons – from 2022–23 to 2024–25 – in List A matches (between 40–60 overs/innings), her favourite format. In 2022–23, only her second season, she piled up 552 runs at 55.20 in 14 innings; in 2023–24, she scored 411 at 68.50 in seven innings; and 602 at 60.20 in 11 innings, with two centuries and two half tons.
Call from Indian team
Based on her consistency, Pratika received the India call and made her ODI debut against West Indies in December last year in Vadodara. She scored 40, and since then she has been a regular in the national team.
Kumar recalls the time when Pratika became serious about her cricket. “Pratika became a hard-working cricketer when she got employed with Indian Railways. She had twin focus until then. She was also good at academics – a 92-plus per cent student. She got 90-plus per cent in Xth and XIIth and graduated in psychology in first division from Jesus and Mary College. Then she took admission in MA,” he says.
“But when she joined the Railways, she probably felt that she would have to narrow her focus down to one — and chose cricket. She pursued the game seriously and went on to represent India. When she was joining the Railways, I told her to take the job and, if she desired, she could pursue academics by taking departmental exams,” he said.
The big decision
While at school, Pratika might have toyed with the idea of pursuing basketball, particularly after she won a gold medal in the National School Games. But she eventually chose cricket while also continuing to pursue academics. Graduating in first division in psychology is proof of that.
So, how easy or difficult was the decision to choose one of the three – cricket, basketball, and academics?
“It wasn’t a difficult decision. When you are a sportsperson, initially, you play more than one sport. She played basketball in school and then left the sport. She was not very serious about basketball; also, there was not much scope of progressing in basketball in Delhi. The game she was serious about was cricket, and she decided to make a profession of it,” says Kumar.
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No big match at Kotla
Ironically, Pratika has never played any match of significance – be it List A, first-class, or one-day international – at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium, which was her home ground while she represented Delhi, before switching to the Railways. Even while representing Delhi, she never got an opportunity to play at the Kotla.
It is one ground Pratika would probably like to play at and score a lot of runs. After all, her fans in her home city would like to watch the lady Virat Kohli in action.
