India Women captain Young top-order batter Pratika Rawal has been ruled out due to knee injury, to face England in the one-off Test. Now, the game, which is scheduled to kick off at iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground from Friday, will feature Priya Punia in the squad as her replacement.
The Rawal earned the injury when he was fielding during the second unofficial ODI between India A and England A in Taunton last week. She was injured and had to come off the field with a cut on her knee before the Indians began their chase.
Later, head coach Amol Muzumdar confirmed that the injury was such that Rawal needed stitches and he was unable to participate in the second Test of the year.
Priya Punia in Line for Test Debut
Priya Punia got the call up following a stellar display in the recent India A cricket team’s series against England A, which included two half-centuries. She has come into the Indian team for white-ball cricket but her first opportunity for the longest format may come against the hosts at Lord’s.
Punia is likely to face competition from Harleen Deol and Yastika Bhatia to be part of the playing XI with Rawal away. It is expected that the Indian team management will chalk out the batting order after taking into account the conditions at Lord’s.
It’s another bad times for Rawal as it is a loss in a promising career. She had impressed during India’s successful women’s World Cup campaign but had a couple of injury woes. Previously she was ruled out of the knockout stage of the tournament after picking up an ankle injury and then missed the next season of the Women’s Premier League. Now, her knee injury has denied her the opportunity of playing a historic Test at Lord’s.
The upcoming clash has added significance as the first-ever women’s Test match that will be played at Lord’s. The Indian team wrapped up their T20 World Cup stint with a preparation camp in England before they started the one-match red-ball game.
India will now be hoping that Punia will make the best of her opportunity and guide the side to rise above the loss of one of the promising youngsters in the Indian side in this historic game.
