India have named Shafali Verma as a replacement for Pratika Rawal, who has been ruled out of the ongoing ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 with an ankle injury, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said on Sunday.
Rawal twisted her ankle during India’s final group-stage match against Bangladesh in Navi Mumbai and was taken off the field. She did not bat in the rain-affected chase that was later abandoned, according to the ICC website.
Rawal, 25, has been among India’s top performers in the tournament, scoring 308 runs in six innings at an average of 51.33 — second only to opener Smriti Mandhana, who leads the charts with 365 runs. Since her debut in December 2024, Rawal has scored 703 runs in 14 innings at an average of 54.07.
The 25-year-old played a decisive role in India’s penultimate group-stage game against New Zealand, which sealed their semi-final spot in the tournament.
Shafali Verma, who last played an ODI a year ago, was not part of the original World Cup squad. The 21-year-old returned to form in the T20I series against England earlier this year, finishing as the second-highest run-scorer, and later impressed with a half-century during India A’s 50-over tour of Australia.
(with ANI input)