Shafali Verma replaces injured Pratika Rawal in India’s World Cup semi-final squad

NEW DELHI: India has named Shafali Verma as a replacement for Pratika Rawal, who has been ruled out of the ongoing ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 following an ankle injury.

Rawal twisted her ankle in the final group-stage game against Bangladesh in Navi Mumbai and was subsequently taken off the field. She wasn’t available to bat in the chase that was eventually called off due to rain, as per the ICC website.

Shafali Verma! pic.twitter.com/tH7zj9YKdE

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Rawal has scored the second-most runs at the ongoing World Cup, amassing 308 runs across six innings at an impressive 51.33 average, bettered only by her opening partner Smriti Mandhana, who leads the run-scoring charts with 365 runs. Rawal has amassed 703 runs at an impressive average of 54.07 in just 14 innings since her debut in December 2024.

The 25-year-old came in clutch with a rollicking century in India’s penultimate group-stage game against New Zealand that sealed their semi-final spot in the tournament. Shafali Verma last played in the 50-over format a year ago and was not part of the World Cup squad.

However, the explosive opening batter came back strongly in the T20I series against England earlier this year to become the second-highest run-getter. Following that, the 21-year-old was part of the India A squad in the 50-over format that toured Australia, where she also registered a half-century. (ANI)