Rawal Ruled Out, Shafali Verma Called Up

India opener Pratika Rawal twisted her right ankle and injured her knee while fielding against Bangladesh at DY Patil Stadium and was helped off and assessed by medical staff. The ICC has confirmed Rawal is ruled out of the remainder of the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup and the Event Technical Committee has approved 21-year-old Shafali Verma as her official replacement in India’s squad. Rawal is the tournament’s second-highest scorer with 308 runs, including a century against New Zealand and a 75 against Australia, and her proven opening partnership with Smriti Mandhana is a significant loss. Shafali, who was left out of the original squad and last played an ODI for India in October 2024, arrives on the back of strong domestic and WPL form and provides an aggressive top-order option. India now head into their crucial semi-final against defending champions Australia in Navi Mumbai without Rawal, testing the team’s depth and selection options.