Before India\u2019s final league match of the World Cup against Bangladesh was washed out due to rain, the hosts were left with a huge concern about Pratika, who sustained a knee and ankle injury while fielding and did not come out to bat in the second innings.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"The question now is who opens with Smriti if Pratika isn\u2019t fit to take the field on the 30th. The first option could be promoting number three, Harleen, since she\u2019s often walked in early and is comfortable facing the new ball. The other option is Uma Chetry, but if Richa Ghosh returns as wicketkeeper, then Uma might sit out.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"Ideally, this was a great opportunity for Harleen to open and build that equation with Smriti, assuming Pratika might not be available. If Pratika is fit, the same batting line-up continues. But sending Amanjot to open was something I didn\u2019t quite understand. Yes, she needed some time out in the middle, but perhaps she could\u2019ve slotted in at number three instead of opening,\" said Mithali on JioStar.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The incident occurred during the 21st over of Bangladesh\u2019s innings when Pratika twisted her ankle while attempting to stop a boundary at cow corner. Though a stretcher was called for, she managed to hobble off the field with assistance from the physio.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
In Pratika\u2019s absence, Amanjot Kaur was promoted to open alongside Smriti, as India made 57\/0 before rain forced the hosts and Bangladesh to split points.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Veda Krishnamurthy, former India batter, stressed the importance of clarity and quick decision making from the team management in deciding the opener alongside Smriti if Pratika is unavailable for the important clash. Australia had previously beaten India by three wickets in the group stage meeting in Visakhapatnam.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"The semi-final is always tricky. It\u2019s the first knockout, and everyone\u2019s naturally a bit nervous, trying to get things right. With Australia, you simply can\u2019t give them moments; they capitalise on even half-chances and take the game away.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"For India, it\u2019s crucial to start with the right combination and keep pushing Australia to make mistakes. You rarely see them make errors, so you must keep them under pressure.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"Given the uncertainty around Pratika, and the fact that India don\u2019t have a backup opener, they\u2019ll need to make a decision quickly. You can\u2019t expect a makeshift opener to come in and deliver something miraculous in a knockout game against the defending champions,\" she added.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
As of now, India don\u2019t have a reserve specialist opening batter in their main squad, and even in the reserves, there is Tejal Hasabnis, but she has primarily batted in the middle order. There\u2019s an outside option of bringing in opener Shafali Verma, who has been making big runs in the Senior Women\u2019s T20 Trophy, but all depends on the results of Pratika\u2019s scans.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"The whole plan behind resting players is that, in games like these, especially against a lower-ranked side like Bangladesh, the result doesn\u2019t drastically impact your standing, but you still expect a dominant performance, which India delivered. Now, the concern lies with Pratika\u2019s fitness.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"Against New Zealand, there was no Amanjot, and I still feel Amanjot should return for Harleen. But the real question is: what\u2019s the injury situation with Pratika? Can India bring in a replacement from outside if needed? Because right now, there isn\u2019t a specialist batter in the dugout.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"The players who didn\u2019t feature were Arundhati, Kranti Goud, Sneh Rana, and Richa Ghosh; and while Richa can come in as wicketkeeper, there\u2019s still no spare batter. Depending on Pratika\u2019s scan results, India might need to consider adding an opener from outside the squad for the semi-final against Australia. You can\u2019t go into a knockout game with a makeshift opener,\" added Veda.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
She signed off by saying India have to go with six bowling options against Australia, citing the disadvantage in going with five bowlers. \u201cTo be honest, I don\u2019t mind the combination as long as India play with six bowling options. That\u2019s been my stance throughout.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"The players who didn\u2019t feature were Arundhati, Kranti Goud, Sneh Rana, and Richa Ghosh; and while Richa can come in as wicketkeeper, there\u2019s still no spare batter. Depending on Pratika\u2019s scan results, India might need to consider adding an opener from outside the squad for the semi-final against Australia. You can\u2019t go into a knockout game with a makeshift opener,\" added Veda.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cAnd if we\u2019re defending, you can\u2019t realistically defend anything under 350 with just five bowlers. So yes, batting is India\u2019s strength, but that doesn\u2019t mean we keep adding pressure on the batters. As long as there are six bowling options, I\u2019m confident in this line-up,\u201d she concluded.<\/p>\r\n\r\n