Who is Pratika Rawal? 5 interesting facts about India opener who starred with an all-round display in IND-W vs WI-W 2nd ODI

Pratika Rawal made a good impression in her debut series for the India Women against West Indies Women in Vadodara. The opening batter became the 150th capped woman for IND-W in the ODIs on December 22.

The first appearance saw her return with a rusty 40 off 69 balls, receiving reprieves on multiple occasions. However, Rawal returned with a sublime knock of 76 off 86 and figures of 2/37 in the second ODI to help the side win by 115 runs.

Rawal rose to prominence with her impressive performance for Delhi in the Senior Women's One Day Trophy 2023-24. She emerged as the second-highest run-scorer with 411 runs in eight innings at an average of 68.50, with two centuries to her name.

On that note, let's take a look at the five interesting facts about the newest batting talent, Pratika Rawal.

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#1 Her father is a BCCI-certified Level-II umpire of DDCA

Pratika Rawal's father Pradeep Rawal is a BCCI-certified Level-II umpire of the Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA). As per the CricHeroes website, he has officiated 31 games, with his latest game coming in the DDCA T20 Cricket Tournament last month.

Interestingly, Pradeep was in Vadodara to officiate in the men’s U-23 tournament as per reports. Hence, he was in attendance during her daughter's debut game against West Indies.

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#2 Started playing cricket from fourth grade

As reported by Sportstar, Pratika Rawal's father enrolled her in the Rohtak Road Gymkhana Cricket Academy under coach Sharvan Kumar. She was in the fourth grade and was only 10 years old at the time.

“She was the first girl who trained at my academy. Before that, I would only work with boys, but when her father got her here, I thought, why not let her play as well,” Sharvan told Sportstar.

Interestingly, the young leg-spinner Priya Mishra, who finished with figures of 3/49 on Monday, also trained under Sharvan in the same academy.

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#3 Won a gold medal in basketball

Along with playing cricket, Pratika Rawal also took an interest in playing basketball. She excelled in the game and secured a gold medal at the 64th School National Games in Delhi in January 2019.

However, cricket remained the first choice for Rawal, as she made it to the age-group teams in Delhi.

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#4 Obtained 92.5% in 12th boards

Along with being a talented cricketer, Pratika Rawal was good in her studies as well. She secured 92.5% in the CBSE 12th board examinations in 2019. Rawal obtained 93 in English and Psychology, 89 in Political Science, 95 in Economics and 88 in Physical Education.

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#5 Led Delhi side to final in Women's U23 Trophy

Pratika Rawal captained the Delhi team in the 2023-24 edition of the Women's U23 Trophy. She garnered 182 runs in nine innings, as the side emerged as the runner-ups, after losing by just three runs against Madhya Pradesh.

However, it was the last season for Rawal as a Delhi cricketer as she currently plying her trade for Railways in domestic cricket.