Shafali’s rise ‘opens’ an exciting contest with Pratika ByAshish Magotra Published on: Dec 27, 2025 04:51 pm IST Read this news in brief form Share Via Copy Link The 21-year-old’s rousing return as Pratika rebuilds after injury will give India women two great opening options New Delhi: One of the saddest sights in India’s ODI World Cup triumph in November was opener Pratika Rawal, who got injured while fielding in the last league match against Bangladesh, not getting a medal. She was replaced by Shafali Verma in the playing XI and the 21-year-old went on to put in a Player-of-the-Match performance in the final, shining with the bat and ball. India's opening batter Shafali Verma (R) and skipper Harmanpreet Kaur after beating Sri Lanka in the third T20I versus Sri Lanka in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday.
