India will be without opening batter Pratika Rawal for the historic women’s Test against England at Lord’s after she was ruled out of the one-off match, dealing a significant blow to the visitors ahead of the landmark contest.
Rawal has been sidelined after sustaining a cut to her knee that required stitches while representing India A against England A in Taunton last week. The opener picked up the injury during the match and was subsequently deemed unavailable for the Test.
Head coach Amol Muzumdar confirmed the development during the pre-match press conference on Wednesday, July 8 with Priya Punia drafted into the squad as Rawal’s replacement.
Rawal’s absence comes at an unfortunate time for India, with the 25-year-old emerging as one of the team’s most dependable top-order batters over the past year. Since making her international debut, the right-hander has enjoyed a rapid rise, producing consistent performances across formats and establishing herself as a key member of India’s batting unit.
She made her Test debut against Australia earlier this year at the WACA in Perth, where she marked the occasion with her maiden half-century in the second innings. Rawal was also part of India’s ODI World Cup-winning campaign last year, scoring a century against New Zealand before her tournament was cut short by injury.
The Lord’s Test, the first women’s Test at the iconic venue featuring India, was expected to provide another opportunity for Rawal to cement her place in the longest format. Instead, India will have to reshuffle their top order and rely on Punia to fill the void.
PUNIA REWARDED AFTER IMPRESSIVE INDIA A PERFORMANCES
Punia is yet to make her Test debut for India but earned her recall after an impressive tour of England with India A. The left-handed batter was the highest run-scorer for India A in the one-day series, amassing 171 runs at an average of 57, including a top score of 87.
Her consistency at the top of the order caught the attention of the selectors, who have now handed her an opportunity to be part of India’s squad for one of the biggest occasions in women’s Test cricket.
Punia also returned to the India setup after more than one and a half years since she last played in the tour of Australia in December 2024. Since her debut in 2019, Punia has been in and out of the team, having played 12 ODIs and three T20Is.
India recently lost the T20I series against England 1-2 before suffering a group-stage exit at the Women’s T20 World Cup. Harmanpreet Kaur’s side will now hope to end their England tour on a positive note with a strong performance in the historic Test at Lord’s.
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