Pratika Rawal Replaces Jemimah Rodrigues in India’s Asian Games 2026 Squad

Pratika Rawal replaces Jemimah Rodrigues in India’s Asian Games 2026 squad after the latter was ruled out of the tournament with a hamstring injury. The change gives Rawal an extended opportunity to remain with India’s T20 setup after making her international debut in the ongoing Women’s T20 Asia Cup 2026.

Rodrigues, one of India’s leading T20I run-scorers, picked up the injury during the Women’s Hundred 2026. Her absence is a setback for India ahead of the Asian Games, but the selectors have opted for a batter who offers considerable experience in the 50-over format.

Rawal has played three T20Is so far, scoring 36 runs. While her start in the shortest format has been modest, her outstanding ODI record provides a strong reason for India to continue backing her.

Jemimah Rodrigues ruled out with hamstring injury

Jemimah Rodrigues will miss India’s Asian Games 2026 campaign after suffering a hamstring injury during the Women’s Hundred. The injury comes at an important stage of India’s international calendar, with the Asian Games following the ongoing Women’s T20 Asia Cup.

Rodrigues has established herself as one of India’s important white-ball batters, particularly in T20 cricket. Her absence removes a player capable of contributing both through attacking strokeplay and middle-order stability.

With the Asian Games squad already announced, India needed to make a direct replacement rather than significantly reshaping the team. Pratika Rawal was the natural choice after already being part of the wider T20 setup.

Pratika Rawal gets another opportunity in T20 cricket

Rawal’s selection is significant because she is still establishing herself in the T20I format. She made her T20I debut during the ongoing Women’s T20 Asia Cup 2026 and has featured in three matches.

Her scores so far have been 22 against Thailand, 10 against Hong Kong and 4 against Pakistan. That gives her 36 runs from three innings.

Those numbers do not yet reflect the consistency she has shown in ODI cricket. However, India’s decision to retain her suggests that the management sees qualities in her batting that can translate to the shortest format.

The Asian Games could therefore become an important development opportunity for Rawal. Rather than being judged solely on her early T20I numbers, she can use the tournament to build confidence and demonstrate that her game can adapt to different formats.

Rawal’s ODI record is her biggest strength

The strongest argument for Rawal’s inclusion comes from her performances in women’s ODI cricket. She has scored 1,189 runs in 26 ODI innings at an impressive average of 47.56.

Her record includes two centuries and eight fifties, highlighting her ability to produce substantial scores rather than merely making occasional contributions.

Her ODI numbers also indicate a batting style built around concentration and innings construction. That could be particularly valuable to India if they lose early wickets in the Asian Games.

The management may see Rawal as someone capable of providing stability at the top or in the middle order while allowing more aggressive batters around her to play their natural games.

Pratika Rawal vs Jemimah Rodrigues

The comparison shows why this is both a replacement and an opportunity. Rawal does not bring the same volume of T20I experience as Rodrigues, but her ODI numbers give India confidence in her ability to construct an innings.

Rawal’s WPL journey adds another layer

Another interesting aspect of Rawal’s selection is that she is yet to make her Women’s Premier League debut. She was initially unsold in the first round of the WPL 2026 auction before being picked by UP Warriorz for Rs 50 lakh during the accelerated phase.

That means Rawal has reached the Indian T20I setup without having played a WPL match. The situation underlines the different routes through which players can earn national selection.

The WPL has become an important platform for women’s T20 cricket, but Rawal’s ODI performances have already given selectors enough evidence to consider her for international opportunities in another format.

Her continued involvement with India’s T20 side could now provide an additional stage for her development before she eventually makes her WPL debut.

India’s updated Asian Games 2026 squad

Following Rodrigues’ withdrawal, India’s updated squad for the Asian Games includes a combination of experienced international players and emerging talent.

• Harmanpreet Kaur (captain)
• Smriti Mandhana (vice-captain)
• Shafali Verma
• Deepti Sharma
• Richa Ghosh
• G. Kamalini
• Bharti Fulmali
• Sree Charani
• Renuka Singh
• Kranti Gaud
• Arundhati Reddy
• Shreyanka Patil (subject to fitness)
• Radha Yadav
• Nandni Sharma
• Pratika Rawal

The squad has a strong mixture of experience and youth. Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana provide senior leadership, while players such as Shafali Verma, Richa Ghosh and emerging talents add attacking options.

When will India begin their Asian Games campaign?

Harmanpreet Kaur’s India will begin their Asian Games 2026 campaign against hosts Japan on September 17 in the quarter-final stage.

The tournament then moves quickly into the knockout rounds. The semifinals are scheduled for September 20, followed by the final on September 22.

That compressed schedule makes squad depth particularly important. India will need players who can adapt quickly and contribute without requiring a long adjustment period.

For Rawal, this creates a valuable opportunity. If she earns a place in the playing XI, she will have a chance to gain experience in high-pressure knockout cricket while working alongside some of India’s most established players.

Will Pratika Rawal play against Bangladesh?

India are scheduled to face Bangladesh in the semifinal of the Women’s T20 Asia Cup on September 10. Rawal is expected to remain in contention for the playing XI following her inclusion in the Asian Games squad.

Her main competition for a batting position on the bench comes from Gunalan Kamalini. The 18-year-old made her T20I debut against Sri Lanka last year and scored 12 runs in that match.

Kamalini has also been involved in the WPL, having played 14 games for Mumbai Indians and scored 107 runs across 10 innings. That gives India another young batting option if the management decides to change its combination.

Rawal’s experience and recent involvement with the national T20 setup could, however, make her an important option for the semifinal.

Why Rawal could be useful in T20 cricket

Rawal’s ODI statistics suggest that one of her biggest strengths is the ability to build an innings. In T20 cricket, that quality can be useful when a team loses wickets early and needs someone to stabilise the innings.

The challenge is finding the right balance between stability and scoring speed. T20 cricket gives batters much less time to settle compared with ODIs, so Rawal will need to convert her strong technique and temperament into quicker scoring.

India already have several players capable of attacking from the beginning. A batter who can absorb pressure and then increase the scoring rate could therefore complement the more aggressive members of the lineup.

Jemimah’s absence changes India’s batting balance

Rodrigues’ absence is significant because India lose a player who has considerable experience in T20 internationals. Her ability to rotate strike and contribute in different phases of an innings has made her an important part of India’s white-ball setup.

The replacement of a proven T20 batter with a relatively inexperienced T20 player naturally changes the team’s balance. However, India’s squad still contains several high-quality batting options.

Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma can provide aggression at the top, while Harmanpreet Kaur offers experience in the middle order. Richa Ghosh adds another attacking option, giving the management several ways to construct the batting order.

Rawal’s potential role could therefore be complementary rather than identical to Rodrigues’ role.

What the Asian Games could mean for Rawal’s career

The Asian Games could become an important milestone in Rawal’s international career. She already has a strong ODI foundation, but regular exposure to T20 cricket can help broaden her skill set.

Playing alongside experienced names such as Mandhana, Harmanpreet and Deepti Sharma can also provide valuable exposure to different approaches to T20 cricket.

If Rawal performs well, the experience could strengthen her case for future T20I opportunities. If she struggles, the matches will still provide useful information about the areas she needs to improve.

Either way, the opportunity is significant because she has been given a chance to develop in a format in which she has comparatively little international experience.

India’s bigger selection challenge

The Rodrigues injury highlights the importance of maintaining a deep pool of multi-format players. India’s international calendar requires the team to move between ODIs, T20Is and major tournaments, often with limited recovery time.

Players who can adapt between formats become particularly valuable in such circumstances. Rawal’s ODI success gives her a strong foundation, while the current T20 assignments provide an opportunity to test the next stage of her development.

For the selectors, the situation is also an opportunity to identify additional batting depth. India’s long-term T20 plans will benefit if more players can establish themselves as reliable international options.

From ODI specialist to potential T20 option

Rawal has largely built her reputation through ODI cricket, where her average of 47.56 demonstrates considerable consistency. The next challenge is translating those qualities into T20 cricket.

Her first three T20I scores have not yet produced a major innings, but it would be too early to draw conclusions from such a small sample. Three matches are hardly enough to determine whether a player can succeed at international level.

The Asian Games can therefore serve as another evaluation period. More opportunities could help Rawal become comfortable with the tempo, shot selection and risk management required in T20 cricket.

Final Verdict

Pratika Rawal has replaced injured Jemimah Rodrigues in India’s Asian Games 2026 squad, giving the ODI specialist another opportunity to establish herself in T20 cricket.

Rodrigues was ruled out after suffering a hamstring injury during the Women’s Hundred 2026. Rawal, meanwhile, has already made her T20I debut during the ongoing Women’s T20 Asia Cup and has scored 36 runs in three matches.

Although her early T20I numbers are modest, her ODI record is impressive. Rawal has scored 1,189 runs in 26 ODI innings at an average of 47.56, with two centuries and eight fifties.

She is also yet to make her WPL debut despite being bought by UP Warriorz for Rs 50 lakh in the accelerated phase of the 2026 auction. Her Asian Games selection now gives her another major opportunity to gain high-level T20 experience.

India begin their Asian Games campaign against hosts Japan on September 17. With Rodrigues unavailable, Rawal’s ability to provide stability and convert her strong ODI foundation into effective T20 batting could become one of the interesting selection stories of India’s campaign.