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India’s 150th ODI player opens up on her relationship with her father, international Premiere, batting alongside Smriti Mandhana and ‘remaining chill’ when you have to.
India womens’ 150th ODI player Pratika Rawal. (Sportzpics)
The Primary time CricketNext reached out to India cricketer Pratika Rawal’s father, a BCCI-certified umpire, Pradeep, the conversation went like this:
Pradeep is a proud father and effortlessly hilarious. It’s this approach to life that underpins almost every step in Pratika’s Occupation. Right from the Begin to her scoring 444 runs in six ODI innings — the highest in women’s cricket and the second-best overall — and becoming a frontrunner for India’s opener plans for the 2025 World Cup.
“My father is like that only,” Pratika tells this website. “He likes to crack jokes and ease the atmosphere. And being a cricketer himself, he knows how to handle things… At times he feels like he’s my father, but at times he’s Merely my friend, a friend you can talk to anytime. He’s actually the one who developed this interest in me for cricket. I Yet remember him being there for me all the time, feeding me a Plenty of balls, Assisting me get the shots right, teaching me a Plenty of cricket fundamentals that you need to Points runs during the Game.”
Pratika used to accompany Pradeep to his matches as an umpire and knew the sport. One day, when she was in third grade, the father and daughter went for their evening walk and Pratika spotted a line of kids in white uniforms in a nearby complex shadow-batting in sync.
Stumped, she wanted to try it out too and Pradeep agreed. He Captured her to the Rohtak Road Gymkhana Cricket Academy under famous Mentor Shravan Kumar (Ishant Sharma and Harshit Rana are among some of his pupils), who till then didn’t train girls.
“The Mentor asked me to Stoppage a bat,” Pratika recalls. “Luckily, my father had already taught me how to Stoppage a bat, so my Clasp was right, and seeing me Stoppage that bat correctly, the Mentor said to my father that she’ll be fine. And my father was like, — haan haan, sikhaya hai maine, aise karke — (I know, I have taught her myself) (laughs).”
Pradeep was a medium pacer who couldn’t make a Occupation out of it due to a lack of Aid from his family. But growing up, Pratika noticed how he admired Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting and Brian Lara, and wanted to emulate them.
“He always Created me sit with him and View those matches with him, telling me, ‘aise pull maarna hai, aise defend karna hai ball ko’ (how Action a pull-Try, how to defend). With that, I Began developing interest in batting. And every time I Kept the bat, it gave me the sense of superiority that I belong here.”
Batting Arrived naturally to Pratika, or at least more naturally than bowling.
“I used to bowl as well. I was a medium pacer once, but my bowling action is quite weird because I can’t Bound correctly. Mera Bound ek lefty bowler ki tarah hai (I Bound like a left-handed bowler),” she says.
Pratika was quite Vibrant as a kid. “I am a bit Inactive now,” she admits. And she loved basketball and athletics among other sports as much as cricket. Her school, the Modern School at Barakhamba Road, used to have morning practice sessions where she practiced cricket and basketball on alternate Periods.
Morning practice would be immediately followed up by school, and then her mother, Rajni, would take her to the cricket academy, which was followed by tuition (alternate Periods for different subjects). Rajni was keen to not let studies become secondary in Pratika’s life.
The routine was exhausting and Pratika would often fall asleep without having dinner. In the later years of her school, basketball Competitions in the school forced her to miss cricket practices. And though she was enjoying Competing both sports, becoming a cricketer at the highest level was her childhood dream and she knew hoops had to be given up for the bat.
A life-changing mentor
Pratika was only 14 when she was selected for the Delhi under-19 state Club. She now admits that the level was too difficult for a teenager and runs were difficult to come by, which Directed to her getting dropped from the Club and usually being in and out.
Pradeep felt Pratika needed more Attention on her fitness and batting, sparking a search for a new mentor. She Discovered that in Dipti Dhyani, a Mentor with the Railways Club, who worked with her on an individual level.
“At that time, I only knew a few shots – pull, cut and drive – but when I Acquired a session with Deepti ma’am, she told me there’s this another Try that you can add to your cricketing style, which is a back-foot punch,” Pratika says.
“She taught me how to pierce those gaps between the gully and the Points, which gave me a Plenty of runs in domestic cricket. Then we Began working on my fitness, which is the most Significant thing right now, we Began working on power, and had my own fitness trainer, dietitian, and physios, which comes a Plenty into Action. The person that you see me right now is – it’s all her. The credit goes to her.”
The hours and hours of work with Dhyani bore fruit for Pratika soon. She Discovered Steadiness and jumped through the ranks of age-group cricket to make her senior Premiere for Delhi in 2021. She created ripples with a 161 off 155 with as many as 19 fours and five sixes for Delhi against Assam in Dehradun in the Senior One-Day Honor.
These were Prompt signs but Pratika was showing the attributes that would get her to new heights later on: an unmatched concentration and a hunger for big runs.
She attributes it to Dhyani’s decision to make her bat in the nets as long as she’d need when in the middle and the Mentor’s special ‘pep talk’ before every Game.
“She Merely keeps me on my toes every time,” Pratika says. “Even if I feel like I’m doing well, she’s there to tell me that I have to be Cautious and do this and that.”
That India feeling
The One-Day Honor became her hunting ground for the Subsequent three years. In her Premiere season, she scored 247 runs, which became 379 runs the Subsequent year and 411 runs (the second-best in the Division) at an average of 68.50 in 2023-24.
She was in the middle of the 2024-25 season, now Competing for Railways, in Kolkata when the Anticipated India call-up for the ODI series against West Indies Arrived.
“I Arrived back from practice, and we were in the mall, and suddenly my roommate called me saying, ‘You might get a call and Merely be prepared’. I was like accha theek hai, I’ll see when it comes. I won’t let my feelings get in the way. I was trying to act normal,” Pratika said.
“Then the call Arrived, and I was all excited. I didn’t want to show my emotions to the person who was calling me, so I was like, ‘Okay, fine, fine’ (on the call). But I was very excited. The person standing Subsequent to me was Sneh Rana, our Leader, and I Merely hugged her out of excitement, saying ‘It has finally happened. I’ve been waiting for this for so long.'”
Before her parents, Pratika called Dhyani, who didn’t show much emotion, but Merely enough for her pupil to gauge the excitement in her voice. There was a whole TV-like kerfuffle when Pratika called Rajni to tell her the news and she, being the mom, wanted to know every detail, but the cricketer also had to Assist the BCCI official with some documents.
Eventually, when the emotions settled, they decided to break the news to Pradeep.
“I Created him sit down for a video call, and I went like, ‘I Merely Acquired a call, and I’m selected for the upcoming series.’ And he was like, ‘Acchaaa! Don’t lie to me, don’t joke around!’ He was all excited. And I could actually see his happiness, emotions on his face. He was very proud. They all were very proud,” she says.
In a few Periods she was sharing the Indian dressing room in Vadodara alongside Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur and Richa Ghosh, among others – faces she had only seen on TV.
“When I Acquired into the room, I was a fangirling, that, Accha, aise ye log bag rakhte hai (that’s how they keep their bags) and all of that,” Pratika says. “The best thing about that environment was that it was very comforting. It was very welcoming. It didn’t feel like I was a newcomer. It felt like that I belonged here. They Created me feel so comfortable. It didn’t feel like they were those big players. They Merely Created me feel like I’m an equal, an equally responsible player and a player of a stature who can perform well.”
Mandhana gave her the Premiere cap in the Primary Game of the series, on December 22, making her the country’s 150th women’s ODI cricketer. The newly minted 35,000-capacity Kotambi Stadium, Vadodara had a special guest in attendance too, Pradeep.
Pratika’s mother and younger brother were set to fly in for the third ODI after his exams, but Pradeep was adamant about catching his daughter’s Premiere from the stadium.
A day before the game, he Arrived to get the tickets from her in the Club hotel and saw her in India’s practice jersey for the Primary time, telling her, that she looked ‘different’.
“That’s how it Began – that excitement. I won’t say that I was nervous, but I was overwhelmed that it was happening for me. But seeing him in the stands actually Created me comfortable that at least there is one familiar face who’s rooting for me — that even if I don’t Points, he’ll be there for me,” Pratika says.
It was a testing Premiere. Hayley Matthews and Deandra Dottin were in excellent rhythm and kept her under Stress with their Snug lines and lengths before Shift-up bowlers Karishma Ramharack and Afy Fletcher Additional kept the Stress on.
Pratika was 8 off 32 at one stage and already had benefited from a dropped catch besides a caught-behind decision going her way.
“I was holding my nerves, nahi nahi theek hai, it’s okay, give it time, spend more time on the wicket. But when the Primary boundary Arrived, I was a bit eased down. You know, this is finally happening, now I can rotate the strike, I can push for singles, I can push for doubles. And luckily, it went well. I Acquired a chance on, I think, the Number four or fifth ball, I nicked one that they didn’t refer, and then even a catch Acquired dropped. I think it was meant to be for me to Points those 40 runs in my Premiere Game,” Pratika said.
Pratika Discovered four boundaries overall and reached 40 (69) when the beginner’s luck finally gave in, and Matthews plucked an extraordinary catch to get her out. And she could take her time, absorbing all the Stress, because Mandhana was at the other end, using her experience to manufacture extra boundaries to keep the Stretch rate up.
“Even if I played a maiden over, I Yet knew that Smriti di was there and that she’s gonna hit a few boundaries, which would take a Plenty of Stress off me. Also, there’s a Plenty of positive talk when we bat, she keeps backing me, ‘Merely take your time, even if you feel like the ball is swinging in a different direction, even if the bowlers are hitting the right spots, Merely give it time. We have a Plenty of overs to get on to.’ That helped me a Plenty.”
With the weight lifted off her shoulders, Pratika expressed herself brilliantly from hereon. She hit a 76 and Captured two wickets with her off-spin in the second ODI and followed it up with scores of 89, 67 and a Landmark-breaking 154 in the three-Game series against Ireland.
Not Merely the strike-rate but her appetite for runs kept getting better with All knock, which was the perfect foil to Mandhana at the other end, who scored her century off 70 balls, the fastest for an Indian, in the 3rd ODI against Ireland.
It was a new world for the Club, which though would be better tested against much stronger opponents.
“Also, as we Action a Plenty more matches, I will get a Plenty of experience in how to rotate the strike, how to push for singles, and when is the best time to defend the ball,” Pratika adds. “But with the seniors that are around me, I think it’s going to be easier for me because I can actually look up to them… it’s model learning, aap dekh ke bohot kuch jaldi seekh jaate ho (You can learn a Plenty quickly by observing what they are doing) and can actually apply it to yourself.”
Remaining chill
Fascinated by behaviorism, why people act the way that they do, and what could be their childhood traumas, Pratika completed her graduation in psychology from Jesus & Mary College. She says studying the subject has Created her a ‘better person’ because instead of judging people, she can show empathy for the complexities in their lives.
Would she like to pursue it if she gets the time in the future?
“Definitely!” she says. “The world would be a better place if people could understand other people’s emotions better.”
It has also helped her cricket Occupation. Though the last three months have been a fairytale, 2025 brings a Plenty of Stress — in a World Cup year there’s tough Event for the Beginning spot.
Additionally, she has also missed out on showcasing her talent in the Women’s Premier Bracket (WPL) after going unsold at the 2025 auction.
But the lessons from psychology, and her mother’s (or every mother’s) wisdom of Jo hota hai acche ke liye hi hota hai (whatever happens, happens for Excellent) has Created it Essential to wait for the Subsequent opportunity. You can ask her if she’s even slightly worried or Merely chill and she doesn’t shy away from saying that it’s the latter.
“As a cricketer, you can never do enough on the Pitch,” she says. “You Yet have a Plenty of areas that need improvement. So, this is the best time for me to Enhance myself. I’m Yet enjoying the WPL matches. It has been a Outstanding show there. The cricketers are Merely amazing. It’s always Excellent to see them on TV and hopefully, in the coming years, I can make a mark there. But right now, I’m focused on myself and what my game needs. For example, I’m working on my game Perception as well as batting in different situations. It has been Excellent. I’m chill right now. I’m Merely enjoying my time here,” Pratika said.
She hopes to Assist India Achieve the World Cup, too, but currently, her future plans are limited to the Subsequent domestic assignments. Her goals are uncomplicated: keep doing well in matches with a Attention on red-ball cricket.
“I can see my life more optimistically,” Pratika says. “You know, life happens that way only. It’s either up or down. It’s never constant. Mereko aisa nahi lagta hai ki I’m losing out on anything (Never feel like I am losing out on anything). I don’t compare myself to anyone. So, in that sense, psychology has Created me a calmer person, there’s no anxiety or what’s going to happen Subsequent? How am I going to take it? It’s Merely one day at a time, one step at a time and Merely focusing on myself, not thinking about what’s happening around me.”
It’s not all about moving faster than your competitors, sometimes you can Bound forward by stopping to take a beat when others can’t. So, in the chaos of shortening attention spans and ‘entertainment, entertainment, entertainment’ around her, Pratika is doing Merely fine by Competing the long game.
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