Pratika Rawal

Pratika Rawal, born on September 1, 2000, in Delhi, India, is an accomplished Indian international cricketer. Her journey in cricket began at the age of 10, significantly influenced by her father, Pradeep Rawal, a BCCI-certified Level-II umpire. Before her cricket career, Rawal excelled academically, completing her schooling from Modern School at Barakhamba Road with 92.5 percent in her CBSE grade 12 board exams, and earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Jesus and Mary College, New Delhi. She also demonstrated athletic versatility, playing basketball for Bal Bharati School and winning a gold medal at the 64th School National Games in Delhi in January 2019. These experiences, particularly her psychology studies, have contributed to her strategic approach to the game.

Rawal’s domestic career saw her playing for Delhi from 2021 to early 2024 before moving to Railways in 2024. She made her List A debut for Delhi on October 31, 2021, and her Twenty20 debut on April 21, 2022. A significant milestone in her domestic career was scoring an unbeaten 161 off 155 against Assam in the 2021–22 Senior Women’s One Day Trophy. In the 2023–24 Senior Women’s One Day Trophy, she scored 411 runs from eight matches, including two centuries. Her leadership skills were evident when she captained Delhi to the final of the 2024 Under-23 T20 Trophy. She made her first-class debut for North Zone in April 2024. Her consistent domestic performance led to her maiden call-up to the national team in December 2024.

Pratika Rawal made her One Day International (ODI) debut for India on December 22, 2024, becoming the 150th ODI cricketer for India. In her debut match, she scored 40 runs and formed a 110-run partnership with Smriti Mandhana. She quickly made an impact, scoring her maiden half-century (76) and taking two wickets in her second ODI. On January 15, 2025, she scored her first ODI century (154) against Ireland, earning both Player of the Match and Player of the Series awards. Rawal became the joint-fastest cricketer to score 1,000 runs in ODIs, reaching the milestone in 23 innings. She was an integral part of the Indian team that won the 2025 Women’s Cricket World Cup, notably scoring her maiden World Cup ton (122) against New Zealand, and forming a record-breaking 212-run opening partnership with Smriti Mandhana in the same tournament. She holds the record for the most runs (444) in the first six innings of ODIs, surpassing Charlotte Edwards’ record of 434 runs, and is the fastest to reach 500 runs in ODIs (8 innings).