India have suffered a major setback ahead of the one-off women’s Test against England at Lord’s, with opener Pratika Rawal ruled out after sustaining a knee injury.
Head coach Amol Muzumdar confirmed the development during a pre-match press conference, revealing that Rawal suffered a cut on her knee that required stitches. He also announced that Priya Punia has been added to the squad as cover.
Punia, who is available for immediate selection, earned her recall after an impressive outing in the recent India A series, where she scored two half-centuries. If picked in the playing XI, she will make her Test debut.
Rawal’s injury comes as another setback in what has otherwise been a promising international career. The young batter played a key role in India’s historic ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup triumph on home soil last year but missed the knockout stages after suffering an ankle injury during the final league match against Bangladesh.
The one-off Test at Lord’s, beginning July 10, will be India’s second Test of the year and the first-ever women’s Test to be played at the iconic venue.
