Meet Delhi's Pratika Rawal, India’s Newest Gem In Women’s Cricket Circuit

Meet Delhi's Pratika Rawal, India’s newest gem in women’s cricket circuit (Image Source: IANS)

Rohtak Road Gymkhana Cricket Academy: Since January 15, life of the Rawal family in West Patel Nagar has undergone a period of transformation. Following India’s 3-0 women’s ODI series victory over Ireland in Rajkot, Pradeep Rawal’s home has seen a constant stream of visitors congratulating him and taking photos with his daughter Pratika.

In between, Dr Vijay Datta, the Principal of Modern School in Barakhamba Road, Pratika’s alma mater, gave her and Pradeep a lot of respect and recognition in a special morning assembly. Given the phenomenal start to her ODI career, the outpouring of praise for Pratika, the right-handed batter, and her family is entirely justified.

Since debuting against the West Indies in Vadodara last year, Pratika, 24, has amassed 444 runs at an average of 74. No other women’s batter has scored as many runs in their first six international innings as Pratika has – only South Africa men’s batter Janneman Malan has come up better.

In the last of those six matches, Pratika dished out the biggest knock of her bubbling international career – smashing 154 off 129 balls and sharing a 233-run stand with her opening partner and captain Smriti Mandhana to help India post 430/5, their biggest ODI total.

Smriti lauded Pratika’s adaptability and calmness following India’s clean sweep of the series. Pradeep, who saw all six of Pratika’s games in Vadodara and Rajkot, is revelling in the joyful outcome of a dream he’s cherished for years – his daughter playing for India.

“Life has changed more than it was before. The dream I had seen since her childhood, that she will do something good in cricket, it has come true today. So, first of all, thanks to God, parents and coaches, the days we are seeing right now, it is the result of all putting in their hard work. When your child fulfils your long-standing dream, it feels extremely wonderful,” said Pradeep in an exclusive conversation with IANS.

The starting point of Pratika’s cricket journey emerged from initial coaching by Pradeep, a certified Level 1 umpire from the BCCI and a state panel umpire at the DDCA. Playing cricket was Pradeep’s passion as a youngster, but he couldn’t go further because of not having much support from his parents, and no guiding figure available to help him reach the next level.

He poured all his cricketing life lessons into Pratika, who knew how to hold a bat and grip it by the time she turned three. “When she was very young, she used to go with me to watch my matches where I was umpiring, and would stand outside or sit down to see the game entirely.

“Through my methods, I taught her how to bat and bowl. In the beginning, I used to make her practice batting against a tennis ball. I also made her a medium pacer, then she became an opener, and in pursuit of making her one, I got to change her bowling to off-spin, thinking that she would get some rest,” he recalls.

With the increase in Pradeep’s umpiring engagements, Pratika, then in fourth grade, was admitted to the Rohtak Road Gymkhana Cricket Academy under coach Shravan Kumar, whose prominent students include Ishant Sharma and Harshit Rana. With a growing desire to play cricket professionally, Pratika also became the first female student to train under Shravan.

“But she didn’t get much time there for batting, as it would be for just 10 minutes. Plus, less attention was paid to catching, fielding and fitness, as they focused more on bowling and batting. I wanted for someone to give her initial focus, and spend more time on her,” adds Pradeep.

In 2015-2016, Pradeep enrolled Pratika for more individual batting training under Dipti Dhyani, a coach with the Railways team. “She focused more on Pratika’s fitness and mental health, and gave time by making her bat for 12 hours. She would make her do knocking of the bat, as well as work on fielding and fielding via various drills. There they pushed her a lot and made her improve so much,” adds Pradeep.

After coming through the ranks in age-group cricket, Pratika made her senior debut for Delhi in 2021, where the highlight was a 155-ball 161. She then amassed 379 runs in eight games in the Senior Women’s One-Day Trophy in 2022/23 season and followed it up with 411 runs in seven innings in the next season.

“From the beginning, I taught her you have to approach your game from ball to ball. Like, you don’t have to think about both the previously played ball and the upcoming delivery. But you have to focus on building your innings ball by ball, and that should be your target. Like Arjun’s focus was only on hitting the fish through his arrow in Mahabharata, you have to go in that way,” adds Pradeep.

Besides this, Pratika’s passion for psychology—a subject she majored in at Jesus & Mary College after achieving a 92.5% score on her 12th-grade exams—is what Pradeep considers the biggest benefit to her career.

“Studying that has helped her read the minds of opposition bowlers and what they could do with the ball in hand. It has taught her to be cool, calm, and steady, all of which come of great importance when playing. So, studying psychology has been very beneficial for her,” he said.

Before joining the Railways’ domestic season, Pratika saw her Rohtak Road academy teammates, Priya Mishra and Simran Dil Bahadur, represent India. But Pradeep reassured her, saying she should remain consistent in her processes, with an India call-up soon coming her way.

“I said that time, ‘It’s okay. When the time comes, you will play for India too’. Now everything which is there today has come after 16-17 years of hard work put in by her. It takes time, as when it’s written, it has to happen. They say, bhagwan ke ghar der hai andher nahi (In God’s home, there may be delay but there is no denial). God gave us this happiness at its time, and we thank him for that,” he adds.

At the Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara on December 22, 2024, Pratika made her international ODI cricket debut against the West Indies, with Pradeep among the spectators. “Her debut game was such a big moment, so how could I miss it? I used to stay hidden from the media in the stadium, because I thought, ‘What to talk about? How it would turn out to be?’” he stated, as Pratika made 40.

But Pradeep’s eyes and mind were searching for the magical century coming off Pratika’s bat. She came close to getting it three times – 76 in the second ODI against the West Indies and scores of 89 and 67 against Ireland.

Among the things waiting was a banner that Pradeep had carried and promised to open once Pratika scored a hundred. “After games in Vadodara, I said to her ‘It’s okay beta, it will be done. Don’t worry, you are not too far away from your century’. I again took the banner to the last ODI match, and when I was sitting on the ground, I felt she should try to get the hundred.”

With her glorious strokeplay and ability to hit shots all around the wicket, with the drive, pull and sweep being her strong points, Pratika finally got the elusive century and out came Pradeep’s banner which had her picture with the lines reading ‘Pratika Rawal, Welcome to the Indian team and best of luck for bright future. Rawal’s family proud of you’.

“After she reached the century, I thought she should go for 150. Post that, I felt like she should try to get 200. But she fell, as the timing wasn’t right on the shot. She and me did plan for getting 200 that game, as there were six overs left after that,” adds Pradeep, as Pratika took Player of the Match and Player of the Series awards at the Niranjan Shah Stadium.

2025 is pivotal for India’s senior women’s team; ODI series versus England and Australia precede the all-important home World Cup. The Rohit Sharma-led men’s team captivated the nation with their ten-match winning streak in 2023 before their heartbreaking loss in the final to Australia.

As a result, the women’s team will be under immense pressure to match and even surpass the accomplishments of their male counterparts. Despite Pratika’s strong showing, she’ll be vying with Shafali Verma, who’s been scoring big in domestic 50-over matches, for partnering Smriti at the top of the batting order.

Some believe that Pratika could also bat at number three, given her strong all-round game. According to Pradeep, they haven’t discussed ODI World Cup selection because Pratika is focused on preparing for senior women’s domestic red-ball matches in April, after not getting a 2025 WPL contract.

“We haven’t thought about it (the ODI World Cup) yet, as it all depends on the selectors. So, we are focusing on preparing and planning for the first-class games now. After that, if she is selected for the England ODI series, we will work on training for that too, and the next series will be on that.”

Playing international cricket at the highest level, for men or women, is incredibly demanding, as it involves immense pressure and constant public scrutiny. Pradeep, however, believes Pratika’s career in the Indian team will be long and glorious, ensuring the happiness they’ve enjoyed at their West Patel Nagar residence since January 15 continues.

“When you reach this stage after doing a lot of penance, you have to serve the country by playing well. If you do something for yourself, then it will be good for the country too. I do understand that playing for the country is a very big thing.”

Playing international cricket at the highest level, for men or women, is incredibly demanding, as it involves immense pressure and constant public scrutiny. Pradeep, however, believes Pratika’s career in the Indian team will be long and glorious, ensuring the happiness they’ve enjoyed at their West Patel Nagar residence since January 15 continues.

Article Source: IANS