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Former Indian captain Mithali Raj expressed concerns over Team India's opening combination for the semifinal against Australia if Pratika Rawal is not fit for the clash following an injury against Bangladesh, saying that Harleen Deol and wicketkeeper-batter Uma Chetry could take up that spot.
The young opener sustained an injury to her knee and ankle while fielding during the first innings of India's final group stage clash against Bangladesh on Sunday. In a statement, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said that the medical team is closely monitoring her progress as the 'Women in Blue' gear up for their crucial semi-final clash against Australia on Thursday in Navi Mumbai set to take place on Thursday. "Team India all-rounder Pratika Rawal sustained an injury to her knee and ankle while fielding in the first innings against Bangladesh. The BCCI Medical Team is closely monitoring her progress," said the statement. Speaking on 'Cricket Live', JioStar expert Mithali expressed surprise with all-rounder Amanjot Kaur opening the innings against Bangladesh, making 15* before the match was called off due to rain as India were cruising towards the 120-run target. "The question now is who opens with Smriti if Pratika isn't fit to take the field on the 30th. The first option could be promoting number three, Harleen, since she's often walked in early and is comfortable facing the new ball. The other option is Uma Chetry, but if Richa Ghosh returns as wicketkeeper, then Uma might sit out. Ideally, today was a great opportunity for Harleen to open and build that equation with Smriti, assuming Pratika might not be available. If Pratika is fit, the same batting line-up continues. But sending Amanjot to open was something I did not quite understand. Yes, she needed some time out in the middle, but perhaps she could've slotted in at number three instead of opening," said the Indian legend. Rawal is the second-highest run-getter in the tournament, with 308 runs in six innings at an average of 51.33, with a century and fifty each and a best score of 122. Harleen has found most success at number three, with 828 runs in 24 innings at an average of 36.00, with a century and two fifties, with a best score of 115. Uma opened during the World Cup warm-up matches, scoring 38 and 45 respectively. Also, former cricketer and JioStar expert Veda Krishnamurthy questioned if India could bring in a replacement, since there is no other specialist batter as a spare in the squad. "What is the injury situation with Pratika? Can India bring in a replacement from outside if needed? Because right now, there is no specialist batter in the dugout. The players who did not feature were Arundhati, Kranti Goud, Sneh Rana, and Richa Ghosh; and while Richa can come in as wicketkeeper, there's still no spare batter. Depending on Pratika's scan results, India might need to consider adding an opener from outside the squad for the semi-final against Australia. You cannot go into a knockout game with a makeshift opener," she concluded. (ANI)
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