India will face Australia in the second semifinal match of the ongoing ICC Women’s ODI World Cup 2025 on Thursday (October 30). In the match scheduled to take place at DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai,
opening batter Pratika Rawal will not play. The 25-year-old right-handed batter from Delhi, who is only behind Smriti Mandhana in the list of batters with the most runs in the ongoing tournament as well as in women’s ODIs in 2025, suffered a knee and ankle injury while fielding in India’s last league match against Bangladesh on Sunday, October 26.
She was officially ruled out of the tournament on Monday (October 27), and as her replacement, Shafali Verma was added to India’s squad.
Shafali, who has played 29 ODIs for Team India, is a like-for-like replacement of Rawal at the top, but it remains to be seen if she is included directly in the playing XI.
Shafali played one warm-up match for India A against New Zealand in Bengaluru last month, and in that contest, she scored 70 runs from just 49 balls.
If the team management decides not to include Shafali directly in the playing XI, then one out of Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma or Richa Ghosh, who have opened for India in the past, could be asked to play as an opener.
Another option for the Women in Blue is to play Amanjot Kaur as opener.
Amanjot opened the innings for India against Bangladesh on Sunday and added more than 50 runs for the first wicket with Smriti Mandhana for the first wicket before rain played spoilsport.
For the match against Australia, the Indian team would like to have at least six bowling options because in their league match against the Southern Stars on October 12 in Visakhapatnam, they failed to defend the total of 330 runs.
Richa, Sneh Rana and Kranti Gaud were rested for the India-Bangladesh match, but the trio is set to be back for the semifinal.
If Shafali replaces Rawal in the playing XI, then there will be a competition between Harleen, Amanjot and Radha Yadav for a place in the XI.
Radha got a chance to play against Bangladesh, and she presented her case by taking three wickets. In addition to her spin bowling and batting in the lower middle order, she is an asset as a fielder.
India’s likely playing XI for Women’s ODI World Cup 2025 semifinal against Australia: Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma/Harleen Deol, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (WK), Sneh Rana, Radha Yadav/Amanjot Kaur, Shree Charani, Renuka Singh Thakur, Kranti Gaud
