India throw caution to the wind by recalling boom-or-bust x-factor Shafali Verma to replace injured opener for Aussie semi-final
India have parachuted Shafali Verma into their World Cup squad after they were dealt a major injury blow ahead of their semi-final showdown with Australia.
In-form opener Pratika Rawal will miss the remainder of the tournament after injuring her ankle while fielding in India’s final round-robin game against Bangladesh on Sunday.
Rawal, the second-highest run-scorer in the tournament who hit a superb 75 against Australia, fell and twisted awkwardly near the boundary rope, hurting her ankle and knee.
She managed to leave the field with the help of players and support staff, but didn’t emerge to open the batting as usual with Smriti Mandhana, and on Monday the ICC and BCCI confirmed she would be sidelined for a significant period.
Verma, who has played 29 ODIs for India but who fell out of favour and was dropped in October last year, comes into the squad despite not being among the five standby players India named when they revealed their tournament squad.
There is no requirement for teams to choose replacement players from the standby list.
Verma, 21, has remained on the periphery of India’s 50-over set-up since falling foul of selectors, and in August opened the batting for India A in three one-dayers against Australia A in Queensland, scoring 52, 4 and 36.
She also opened for India A in a World Cup warm-up game against New Zealand in Bengaluru late last month, hitting 70 off 49 deliveries.
While Verma has not been travelling or training with India’s World Cup squad across the past month, she has been playing domestic T20 cricket.
India have several other options to replace Rawal for the knockout against Australia, including Uma Chetry, first drop Harleen Deol or the dynamic and versatile Jemimah Rodrigues. Allrounder Amanjot Kaur also opened in place of the injured Rawal on Sunday.
However, Verma’s explosiveness would add an X-factor that will be tempting to selectors as they look to upset the undefeated Australians.
It would however be a significant change in direction for India, given the success of the Rawal-Mandhana partnership, with Rawal the antithesis of the boom-or-bust Verma.
Rawal, while at times criticised for her lower strike rate, has been incredibly consistent and her steadier approach has had a positive effect on Mandhana, with the superstar left-hander becoming more expansive earlier in her innings across the past year they have opened the batting together.
The pair have featured in two of the tournament’s top five batting partnerships so far, putting on 212 against New Zealand and 155 against Australia.
Australia meanwhile have their own worries at the top of the order ahead of Thursday’s semi-final as captain Alyssa Healy attempts to overcome a minor calf strain.
They will train at DY Patil Stadium on Tuesday and Wednesday, with all eyes to be on Healy, who has been making positive progress, training lightly ahead of Saturday’s game against South Africa before sitting out the clash against the Proteas.
2025 Women’s ODI World Cup Finals
Semi-final 1: England v South Africa, Guwahati, October 29, 8:30pm AEDT
Semi-final 2: Australia v India, Mumbai, October 30, 8:30pm AEDT
Final: Mumbai, November 2, 8:30pm AEDT
All matches to be broadcast exclusively live and free on Prime Video.
