Pratika Rawal has some understanding of how the human mind functions because to her studies in psychology, and she had a gut feeling that Shafali Verma, who replaced her in the World Cup knockout stages, would do exceptionally well in the championship game.
Even though Rawal’s ankle and knee injuries kept her from participating in the two most important games of her career, her intuition about Shafali was correct.
“Shafali doesn’t need motivation. She plays with instinct and belief. Before the final, she came up to me and said, ‘I’m really sorry you can’t play,’ and I told her ‘it’s fine, these things happen’. I had a feeling she would do something special that day,” a PTI report quoted Rawal as saying.
With 308 runs from seven games, Rawal was the fourth-highest run scorer in the World Cup. However, she was injured during the most recent league game against Bangladesh.
A person with a bachelor’s degree in psychology found it simpler to understand what was going through her head, even if the setback caused by an injury at a critical point could have been mentally devastating.
“I should not say I am a psychologist yet because I haven’t completed my Masters degree,” she smiled.
“But as someone who has studied psychology, it really helped me to understand human emotions better – including my own. The first thing is to accept what’s happened. You can’t undo it. Once I accepted the injury, I focused only on what I could control – recovery, sleep, nutrition, and supporting the team.”
She claimed that this practical attitude kept her from experiencing self-pity.
“There was disappointment, yes, but no breakdown. My dad was there, my coach (Deepti Dhyani) kept checking on me, my mom and brother called every day. I have such a good support system. They didn’t let me spiral or feel alone,” she said.
She remembered with fondness that her father suffered more from the injury than she did.
“I don’t show emotions easily, but my dad cried a lot – I had to calm him down,” she laughed.
Since Rawal, who is confined to a wheelchair, was carried by her teammates for on-field festivities last Sunday, she acknowledges that things have been a little strange.
“It’s going to take me a lot of time to get used to the fact that we have won the World Cup. It has not sunk in yet. Whenever I see that trophy, that’s when I realised, oh, this has actually happened,” she said.
Additionally, she clarified the uncertainty about the medal that had gone viral.
“I have my own medal now. One of the support staff had lent me theirs temporarily because mine hadn’t reached on time. Jay (Shah) sir has sent me a medal, someone told me. I was so happy but people made a big deal of it online, it will take some time but will come to me,” she clarified.
Since making her ODI debut in 2022, Rawal has had an incredible run with the bat, scoring 1100 runs in 24 matches with two hundreds and seven fifties at an incredible average of 50.45, figures that highlight her rising prominence.
She emphasized that after losing three straight games, the team ignored the outside comments.
“We didn’t think about social media or criticism. It was always about what was happening inside our dressing room. We had a lot of open conversations, and everyone took responsibility. That was the difference.”
Regarding her batting strategy, Rawal stated that she doesn’t think there are set responsibilities.
“Every match demands something different. If Smriti (Mandhana) gets out early, I’m told to anchor and stay long. If we need to score runs quickly, I’m asked to accelerate. For me, it’s never about personal milestones, it’s about the team’s rhythm,” she said.
Rawal sounded hopeful about her recuperation.
“I’m feeling a lot better now. My x-ray is due in a few days, and I’m doing most things on my own. I’ve started light mobility work too. Once the doctors clear me, I’ll start batting again. I’m very excited to return — I miss holding the bat,” she said.
Following the victory, the young batter revealed a funny moment from the team’s meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“He offered me bhel because I was on a wheelchair. I remember thinking, ‘Oh my God, this is the most expensive bhel I’ve ever had!'” she said, laughing.
Rawal is now focused on coming back to the game stronger than before because her psychology degree gives her a mental edge and her on-field performances show that she is one of India’s most promising batters.
“My next target is to complete rehab properly and come back for the domestic season. I don’t like rushing recovery. I am a person who can bat all day and still not get tired — I want to get back to that zone,” she said.
“For now, it is all about being fit, training smart, and doing justice to the opportunities that come my way”.
