In the Women's Asia Cup 2026, Thailand won the draw and proposed that the Indian team start with a backfield. In the match taking place at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, a new player joined the Indian squad. Pritika Rawal, a strong batter from Delhi, was given her debut captaincy role in the T20 International match by Harmanpreet Kaur. Pritika intends to demonstrate her abilities against Thailand.
Pritika's opportunity arose due to an injury to the team star Jemima Rodriguez. Furthermore, she was included in the main squad for both the Women's Asia Cup and the Asian Games.
Pritika, who studied psychology, did not achieve this success instantly. She consistently scored a large number of runs in domestic tournaments. Her attention was drawn by a particularly impressive match in 2021 when she played a relentless and powerful innings of 161 runs against Assam in the Women's ODI Series.
Pritika has proven herself brilliantly in the ODI format. She secured her place in the Indian team for the 50-over format and played a vital role in India's victory in the 2025 World Cup. However, her inclusion in the T20 squad has sparked a new discussion among cricket experts. The question arises whether this ODI format star can replace a player like Jemima Rodriguez in the fast-paced T20 format?
Jemima played at number three in the team and was a master against spinners, as well as capable of scoring quickly after the powerplay. Pritika, on the other hand, traditionally played as an opener. Therefore, playing in Jemima's position will require Pritika to adapt to a middle-order role. Moreover, her average strike rate in T20 (105.32) raises some concerns. T20 cricket requires an aggressive approach and quick scoring from the very first delivery. Despite all these difficulties and questions, the management of the Indian team expressed full confidence in Pritika's abilities and her experience in the ODI format.
After the T20 World Cup, the Indian team provided opportunities to several young players such as Minnu Mani, Priya Mishra, and Titas Sadhu. Now, Pritika faces the main task—to prove that she is fully ready for the high speed of T20 and can silence all critics with her skill.