"When a family plays together, it becomes difficult to beat that team": Pratika Rawal on India's World Cup triumph
"When I was injured, a lot of members in the team said that we want to win this World Cup for Pratika. I got to know this from someone outside the team. When we won the finals, I was the 16th player, but I was given the same respect. I was taken to the stage in a wheelchair. This team is like a family. When a family plays together, it becomes difficult to beat that team. This team deserved to win the finals," said Rawal.
ANI
Nov 06, 2025 14:50 IST
New Delhi [India], November 6 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while interacting with members of the Champion Indian Women's Cricket Team at his residence at Lok Kalyan Marg on November 5, enquired about the injury sustained by cricketer Pratika Rawal during India's group-stage match against Bangladesh.
Rawal, one of India's standout performers in the tournament, had injured her right foot while fielding in the deep during the 21st over of Bangladesh's innings. The setback ruled her out of the Women's ODI World Cup before the semi-final against Australia, forcing her to miss the knockout matches, including the final.
"When I was injured, a lot of members in the team said that we want to win this World Cup for Pratika. I got to know this from someone outside the team. When we won the finals, I was the 16th player, but I was given the same respect. I was taken to the stage in a wheelchair. This team is like a family. When a family plays together, it becomes difficult to beat that team. This team deserved to win the finals," said Rawal.
Acknowledging her story, Prime Minister Modi lauded the unity and collective strength of the team.
"Team spirit matters a lot, not only on the field. If we know the strengths and weaknesses of each other, it helps us a lot," said PM Modi.
Pratika Rawal, who averaged over 50 in her ODI career, was India's second-highest run-getter in the tournament with 308 runs in six innings, including a century and a fifty. Her performances and resilience made her one of the standout names of India's historic World Cup triumph.
India's years' dream of capturing the ICC Women's World Cup finally came to an end after two heartbreaks in 2005 and 2017 finals, as they defeated South Africa by 52 runs in a clinical performance at the finals, which saw Shafali Sharma (87 and 2/36) and Deepti Sharma (58 and 5/39) delivering all-round performances that would stay imprinted in the minds' of millions and serve as a tale of inspiration for the cricketers of the future.
India joined Australia, England and New Zealand as ICC Women's Cricket World Cup winners and, like the latter two, did so for the first time on home soil. (ANI)
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