Indian opening batter Pratika Rawal was in the news earlier in the tournament for her inability to increase the scoring rate after getting off to a start. On Thursday, she produced arguably her most composed and fluent batting performance, amassing a 134-ball 122 and setting up a 212-run stand for the opening wicket with Smriti Mandhana against New Zealand in Navi Mumbai.
The 25-year-old’s innings had 13 fours and two sixes, and she admitted later that she liked to follow a certain template while batting and had spoken to the coaches about how best she could contribute to the team’s cause.
“Regarding the strike rate, there are certain templates that I like to play on. So, I’ve had a lot of discussion with the coaches. I’ve had n number of talks with how I can progress with my game. What’s my contribution to the team. So, in that front I think I just try to contribute whatever is best for the team,” Rawal told the media on Thursday.
The right-hander became the joint-fastest to reach 1000 runs in women’s ODIs, en route to making her hundred. She admitted that her journey to scoring runs had not been easy, adding that she was glad about her progress.
“Sir, I can assure you I’ve worked very hard for that. So, I mean, I’ve put in a lot of practice sessions. I’ve had a lot of talks with the coaches as well. It may seem easy, but I know when I bat there, there are a lot of challenges and I’m very happy the way I’m progressing right now,” she said.
Partnership with Smriti
Rawal, who made her international debut in December 2024, has combined very well with Smriti Mandhana at the top of the order to give India consistently good starts. The right-hander admitted that the team’s vice-captain allowed her to bat in a way that suited her, and both batters calculated how to go about their innings, either batting first or second, while batting in the middle.
“The conversations are pretty simple. I mean, she lets me do what I do best. And I don’t interfere in whatever she does best. So, the whole conversation that happens when we are batting is the calculation part. How much to get in order to set up a big total. And when we are chasing, how to break down into how to fewer parts so that we can chase it easier. So, she’s pretty good with calculations, and I like to chip in whatever she has to say to me. And. And I think it’s both ways, so we like to keep it pretty simple,” she concluded.
