'Shafali Verma handled pressure beautifully, immense respect for her' - Pratika Rawal lauds fellow opener after Women's World Cup Final heroics

Shafali Verma replaced Pratika Rawal ahead of the Women's World Cup 2025 semi-final between India and Australia after the latter sustained a freakish ankle injury while fielding in an inconsequential league game against Bangladesh.

While Shafali failed to make an impact against Australia, getting dismissed for 10, she made up for it with a stellar knock in the final against South Africa. The right-handed batter smashed a 78-ball 87 and picked up two wickets to orchestrate a 52-run win for the Women in Blue, who lifted the World Cup for the first time. Shafali also bagged the Player of the Match award with her all-round heroics.

In a recent interview, Rawal said that she has massive respect for Shafali, recalling that the admiration started from a domestic cricket match where the Rohtak-born had scored a century against her team.

“I have immense respect for Shafali. I remember playing a domestic match against Haryana — she scored a hundred, and I was leading the opposition side. From that day onwards, I’ve admired her a lot. What she did for our team was incredible,” Pratika told India Today.

“It’s not easy to come into a semi-final with that kind of pressure, but she handled it beautifully. We all saw how well she played in the final too," she added.

'I think it’s our simplicity' - Pratika Rawal explains reason behind success with Smriti Mandhana

After replacing Shafali as India's ODI opener last year, Rawal has formed a formidable opening combination with Smriti Mandhana. The duo scored runs for fun heading into the World Cup and they continued the form in the marquee event as well. Rawal said that she and Smriti understand each other's game very well and enjoy playing together.

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“I think it’s our simplicity — that’s what defines us. We love playing together. We’re both mature enough to understand what the situation demands. She never interferes with my game, and I don’t interfere with hers. That mutual trust and understanding are what make our partnership work so well,” Pratika added.