Pratika Rawal confirms she has her own World Cup winner’s medal which had initially not been given to her due to injury.
India’s opener Pratika Rawal, who was injured and missed the World Cup semifinal and final, had confidence in Shafali Verma, her replacement, to perform “something special” in the championship match. After winning the final versus South Africa in a wheelchair, Rawal engaged in the festivities. She also received her medal, which had not been awarded to her at first as she was disqualified from the competition.
“I have my own medal now,” she was quoted as saying by PTI Videos. “One of the support staff had lent me theirs temporarily because mine hadn’t reached on time. Jay [Shah, ICC chairman] sir has sent me a medal, someone told me. I was so happy but people made a big deal of it online, it will take some time but will come to me.”
In both the pivotal semi-final match against Australia and the final match against South Africa, when Shafali finished as Player of the Match with 87 runs and two wickets, she teamed with Smriti Mandhana at the top of the order. Before the game, Rawal disclosed what she had discussed with Shafali.
“Shafali doesn’t need motivation. She plays with instinct and belief,” Rawal said. “Before the final, she came up to me and said, ‘I’m really sorry you can’t play,’ and I told her it’s fine, these things happen. I had a feeling she would do something special that day.”
“…as someone who has studied psychology, it really helped me to understand human emotions better – including my own,” she said. “The first thing is to accept what’s happened. You can’t undo it. Once I accepted the injury, I focused only on what I could control – recovery, sleep, nutrition, and supporting the team.
“There was disappointment, yes, but no breakdown. My dad was there, my coach (Shravan Kumar) kept checking on me, my mom and brother called every day. I have such a good support system. They didn’t let me spiral or feel alone,” she said.
Her father took the injury harder than she did. “I don’t show emotions easily, but my dad cried a lot – I had to calm him down,” she said.
On her recovery, Rawal sounded optimistic. “I’m feeling a lot better now. My X-ray is due in a few days, and I’m doing most things on my own. I’ve started light mobility work too. Once the doctors clear me, I’ll start batting again. I’m very excited to return – I miss holding the bat,” she said.
“My next target is to complete rehab properly and come back for the domestic season. I don’t like rushing recovery. I’m a person who can bat all day and still not get tired – I want to get back to that zone.”