Pratika Rawal has established herself as a rising star in Indian women’s cricket in just her sixth One-Day International. In the third ODI against Ireland, the 24-year-old opener wowed the crowd in Rajkot with an incredible 154 off 129 balls, her first-ever international century. Together with substitute skipper Smriti Mandhana, who scored an incredible 135 off just 70 balls, Pratika led India to their highest-ever ODI total of 435 for five.
Pratika was born in Delhi on September 1, 2000, and she has a strong affinity for cricket. Her father, Pradeep Rawal, who works as a Level-II umpire for the Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA) and is accredited by the BCCI, may have instilled in her a passion for cricket. Under the tutelage of coach Sharvan Kumar, she started playing cricket at Rohtak Road Gymkhana Cricket Academy. But cricket wasn’t the only sport that Pratika had a foundation in. She was a standout basketball player as well, representing Bal Bharati School in Rajender Nagar and winning a gold medal in the 64th School National Games in 2019.
Pratika was an exceptional student who finished her education at Modern School, Barakhamba Road, with a remarkable 92.5% on her CBSE board examinations. Later, she attended Jesus & Mary College in New Delhi to obtain a bachelor’s degree in psychology. Her academic education is a pillar of her cricket philosophy, not just a feature of her resume.
“Knowing the human mind has helped me process things on and off the field,” she said in the BCCI-shared film Pratika Rawal: Psychology Meets Cricket.
Before joining Railways, Pratika played for Delhi from 2021 to 2024, when she started her domestic career. In the home series against the West Indies last month, she made her debut for her country, scoring 40 runs and forming an important opening combination with Mandhana that lasted 110 runs. In the match, she also took her first ODI wicket, dismissing Hayley Matthews, the captain of the West Indies.
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