Dashing opener Shafali Verma has been named as an injury replacement for the in-form Pratika Rawal ahead of India’s Women’s ODI World Cup semifinal against powerhouse Australia at the DY Patil Stadium on Thursday (October 31, 2025). Pratika has been ruled out of the tournament after sustaining a right ankle injury during the rain-hit clash against Bangladesh at the same venue on Sunday (October 26, 2025).

The International Cricket Council (ICC) confirmed Shafali’s inclusion in place of Pratika through a media release on Monday (October 27, 2025). Once Pratika’s ankle injury was deemed serious on Monday (October 27, 2025) morning, it was clear that either Tejal Hasabnis – named as a standby – or Shafali would be drafted into the squad.

The Hindu understands that the newly appointed selection panel, chaired by Amita Sharma, decided to go with Shafali in consultation with the team management. The selectors were keen to inject aggression at the top of the order against a strong Australian attack.

Shafali’s omission from the original squad by the previous Neetu David-led committee had raised eyebrows before the tournament, and her recall now marks a significant turnaround. Shafali, who was in Surat to represent Haryana in the Women’s T20 Trophy, joined the squad on Monday (October 27, 2025).

Pratika’s injury has come as a huge blow to India’s campaign. The opener has been one of the side’s standout performers, amassing 308 runs in six innings, making her the second-highest run-getter in the competition. Her flourishing partnership with Smriti Mandhana played a vital role in India’s march to the semifinals.

The injury occurred in the 21st over of Bangladesh’s curtailed innings when Pratika slipped on the wet outfield while attempting to save a second run. She appeared to have twisted her ankle and hurt her knee. Although a stretcher was brought onto the field, she managed to limp off with the support of her teammates.

The recent Women’s ODI World Cup 2025 games at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo have offered little in results but much in missed opportunities.

For Pakistan, that sums up the campaign so far — narrow margins against major rivals, rain-curtailed chances, and a team still struggling for cohesion.

The batting unit, which carried so much confidence from a successful Qualifier run, lost its way. This imbalance within the squad has left the bowling efforts — often spirited and effective — underappreciated.

Skipper Fatima Sana, Pakistan’s leading wicket-taker, knows that if her team is to keep its faint knockout hopes alive, the upcoming match against South Africa on Tuesday will be decisive.

The 23-year-old, already burdened with the challenge of lifting her side’s morale after a second consecutive washout, now faces the task of weathering the Protean storm, which has blown away every opponent since its opening-match setback.

Already assured of a semifinal berth, Laura Wolvaardt and Co. will aim to extend their four-game unbeaten run. Having dominated the 20-over clash against Sri Lanka earlier, South Africa will be eager to finish the Colombo leg on a winning note.

The prolific opening pair of Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits cruised through the high-stakes chase against the host and seem to have rediscovered their rhythm. They’ll aim to carry that momentum forward and give the match-winning middle order a strong platform.

A sense of familiarity will loom large as South Africa and Pakistan had locked in a closely contested three-match ODI series ahead of the World Cup. The Proteas were denied a clean sweep by a spirited Pakistan fightback in a low-scoring affair, orchestrated by Nashra Sandhu’s six-wicket haul.

The series also marked the peak of Sidra Amin’s form. The right-handed batter, Pakistan’s leading run-scorer in the tournament so far (125), piled up 293 runs across three innings, including back-to-back centuries and a fifty. South Africa’s Brits also shone, racking up 272 runs in just two matches, highlighted by consecutive hundreds and her career-best ODI score of 171 not out.

However, to capitalise on their confident run, both teams will be hoping for the relentless monsoon rains to stay away. The forecast, unfortunately, is far from promising, with showers predicted throughout. Another abandoned match may not significantly affect South Africa’s campaign, but for Pakistan, it will be a crushing blow.

From needing 57 runs from as many balls and with four wickets in hand, India shockingly succumbed to a four-run defeat against England at the Holkar Stadium in Indore on Sunday (October 19, 2025).

A largely comfortable chase went awry despite Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana setting up the foundations for what should have been an easy win in the women’s World Cup.

Smriti, who fell in the 42nd over, shouldered the blame for the collapse.

“We could have done better with our shot selections. It started from me, so I will take it on me, the shot selection should have been better. We just needed six runs per over. Maybe we should have taken the game deeper. The collapse started from me,” she said.

“I was trying to aim over covers and I mistimed that shot. Maybe the shot wasn’t needed at that time. I needed to be more patient, throughout the innings I was trying to tell myself to be patient and not to play aerial shots. But the emotions took over for that one, which never helps in cricket.”

“Walking back, I was pretty confident that we’ll be able to get the win,” she admitted.

With constant balance issues in the campaign, India bit the bullet and went for a six-bowler lineup. This meant Jemimah Rodrigues made way for Renuka Singh Thakur.

Smriti said that the conditions in Indore and the need to find the right combination were what prompted a rejig of the team combination.

“In the last two matches, we thought that five bowling options were not good enough, especially on a flat track like Indore or how maybe the second match in Vishakhapatnam [against Australia] played out. With five options, if one bowler has a bad day, it really costs us. It was definitely a very tough call to drop a player like Jemi, but sometimes you need to do those sorts of things to get the balance right,” she said.

The 29-year-old also said that India, unlike its rivals Australia, England or New Zealand, does not have the privilege of a strong bowling depth. She, however, said that the team combination will be tinkered with on a match to match basis.

“We are not privileged enough to have our batters who could bowl a few overs, which a lot of other teams have. But it’s not like this [six bowler setup] is going to be there, we’ll have to see how the situation is, how the wicket will play and then we’ll take a call.”

India’s hopes of nicking the last spot in the semifinals depends heavily on victories in its remaining matches.

“In cricket, nothing comes easy. For sure, the next match [against New Zealand] would be the virtual quarterfinal in terms of getting into the top four. You don’t play cricket to have easy days. We’ll all take this in our stride. We know where we could have gotten done better, where we went wrong. When you’re playing a sport, you’re meant to have good days and bad days. It’s about how you take those bad days and we move on.”