India’s Women’s T20 World Cup campaign has suffered a major setback after off-spinner Shreyanka Patil was ruled out of the tournament due to an ankle injury. The injury occurred during India’s group-stage match against the Netherlands, where Patil twisted her ankle while fielding and had to be taken off the field.
Following medical assessment, it was confirmed that Shreyanka would take no further part in the tournament. The ICC’s Event Technical Committee has approved the inclusion of young leg-spinner Prema Rawat as her replacement in the Indian squad.
Prema Rawat, who was already in England with the India A team, receives her first senior India call-up. The 24-year-old impressed selectors with her performances in domestic cricket, the Women’s Premier League and the Women’s Asia Cup Rising Stars tournament. She picked up eight wickets for India A in the latter competition and has been viewed as one of India’s emerging spin talents.
The loss of Shreyanka is significant for India because of her ability to bowl in pressure situations. The off-spinner had recently returned from injury and featured in India’s victory over Pakistan earlier in the tournament. Her control in the middle and death overs had made her an important part of the team’s bowling plans.
India, led by Harmanpreet Kaur, has started the World Cup strongly and will now hope that Prema Rawat can make a seamless transition into the squad as they push for a place in the knockout stages.
While Shreyanka’s injury is unfortunate, the tournament now presents a golden opportunity for Prema Rawat to showcase her talent on the biggest stage in women’s T20 cricket.
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