Pratika rawal
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‘It Was A 30‑second Meeting; Everybody Said Shafali’: Harmanpreet Recalls Pratika’s Replacement During 2025 ODI WC
ODI World Cup: India captain Harmanpreet Kaur has revealed that the decision to bring in Shafali Verma as a late replacement for the injured Pratika Rawal during the 2025 Women’ ODI World Cup was taken in ‘just a 30‑second meeting', with unanimous backing from the team and the board.
Pratika had suffered an ankle injury in the rain‑hit game against Bangladesh in Navi Mumbai, thus ruling her out of the knockout stages. Shafali then came in and smashed 87 while picking two wickets in the final against South Africa to ensure India lifted its first-ever ODI WC trophy, that too on home soil.
"We first asked about Pratika. But sir told us multiple times that there was no chance of her coming back. After that, it was just a 30-second meeting. We all came together, and everybody said, 'Shafali, Shafali, Shafali,' and that was it.
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