I didn’t want to leave on a stretcher so I walked: Pratika opens up on ODI WC injury
New Delhi, Nov 3 (IANS) India batter Pratika Rawal opened up about the emotional and physical ordeal of suffering a fracture during the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025, admitting that she sensed something was wrong immediately after falling during the match against Bangladesh, but she didn’t want to leave on a stretcher, so she was determined to walk.
The injury brought her World Cup campaign to an abrupt end, forcing her to watch India’s subsequent knockout matches from the sidelines, including the semi-final and final.
Rawal recalled being conscious of the seriousness of the impact even before undergoing medical examinations. Despite suspecting an injury, she was determined to walk back to the dressing room rather than leave the field on a stretcher. An X-ray subsequently confirmed a fracture, ruling her out of the remainder of the tournament.
“When I fell down during the match against Bangladesh, I knew something was wrong. I’m very aware of my body, and the impact didn’t feel right. I didn’t want to leave on a stretcher, so I was determined to walk, even if I had to limp. After reaching the dressing room, I informed our Head of Sports Science and Medicine, and the X-ray confirmed a fracture, which meant my World Cup was over.
“My dad was in the stands and kept calling me, but my phone was with the manager. When our physio told me he was worried, I asked her to let him know I was okay, even though I knew I wasn’t. It was tough to get injured during a World Cup, but watching the girls play in the semi-final and final was amazing. I watched the semi-final from my hotel room, with my dad beside me, anxiously hoping we would win. It was a mix of emotions, but having great people around me made all the difference,” Pratika told JioStar while reflecting on the incident.
While missing the business end of the World Cup was difficult, Rawal found herself with another memorable moment on the field when she returned to action against Zimbabwe. The Indian batter revealed that she scored a century in the first ODI against Zimbabwe on October 23, the exact date on which she had registered a hundred against New Zealand during the 2025 World Cup.
The remarkable coincidence was spotted shortly before the Zimbabwe match when highlights of India’s World Cup campaign were being shown on television. A conversation with head coach Amol Muzumdar and senior batter Smriti Mandhana then prompted Rawal to attempt to recreate the achievement.
Recalling how the idea came about, she added, “We were stepping out to bat in the first ODI against Zimbabwe, and the highlights of the India vs New Zealand match from the 2025 World Cup were being played on TV and there was this small font written which said on this day. I had scored a hundred in that World Cup match, and I asked Amol sir whether this match had been played on 23rd October. He said yes, it was on this exact date. So, we were having this conversation with Smriti di and Amol sir and we decided to recreate this. And I scored a hundred in that match against Zimbabwe. It felt really good to score a century on the exact same date.”
–IANS
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