Women’s World Cup: Shafali Verma steps in for injured Pratika Rawal ahead of semifinal clash

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has approved India’s request to include Shafali Verma.

In the squad as a replacement for the injured Pratika Rawal ahead of the Women’s World Cup 2025 semifinal. The announcement was made on Monday, October 27.

Pratika sustained an ankle and knee injury while fielding during India’s group-stage match against Bangladesh. The incident occurred when she attempted to stop a boundary and landed awkwardly, forcing her to be carried off the field. She did not bat in that match, with Amanjot Kaur opening alongside Smriti Mandhana instead. Pratika had earlier been in excellent form, scoring a brilliant century against New Zealand before her injury ruled her out of the remainder of the tournament.

In a statement, the ICC said:

“The Event Technical Committee of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 has approved Shafali Verma as a replacement for Pratika Rawal in the India squad. Rawal was ruled out after sustaining an injury to her right ankle while fielding in the league match against Bangladesh on Sunday. The replacement of a player requires approval from the Event Technical Committee before the replacement can be officially added to the squad.”

The Event Technical Committee includes Wasim Khan (Chair, ICC General Manager – Cricket), Gaurav Saxena (ICC General Manager – Events & Corporate Communications), Abey Kuruvilla (BCCI Tournament Director), and Mel Jones (Independent nominee).

Shafali’s Return to the ODI Setup

Shafali Verma’s comeback marks her return to India’s ODI squad after a year-long absence — her last appearance came in October 2024. Known for her explosive starts at the top of the order, Shafali’s omission from the initial World Cup squad had raised eyebrows, especially after Yastika Bhatia was ruled out.

The young opener has been in red-hot form recently, scoring 70 off 49 balls for India A against New Zealand in a warm-up game and leading the run charts in the Senior Women’s T20 Trophy with 341 runs in nine matches, averaging 56.83 with a strike rate of 182.