On a hot Delhi afternoon a few days before the start of the ICC Women’s World Cup, Pradeep Rawal apologises for being a few minutes late for our meeting. He had a few errands to run, he says.
Later, he whips out his mobile phone and shows the reason for his delay: he had to visit the local printer to give orders for some banners to display at venues that he planned to visit during the tournament. One of those read: ‘100* – Pratika Rawal: Proud Moment of Father.’
On Thursday in Navi Mumbai against New Zealand, the banner was broadcast around the world shortly after Pratika scored her first century of the tournament. It had been an up-and-down campaign for her, much like India, but she showcased her copybook technique on way to a 134-ball 122 with 13 fours and two sixes. It was central to India’s win that powered into the semifinals.
During the course of her knock, she also became the fastest woman to 1,000 runs in the format (23 innings). Pradeep had a banner ready for that too.
The first thing Pradeep did on reaching their residence in Delhi’s West Patel Nagar is to go to the terrace. As he opens the door, there are plenty of potted plants lined across the parapet, but the striking sight is that of green nets hanging over the length of the terrace. It was where Pratika practised during the pandemic – a tough phase in her career, according to Pradeep, because it delayed her rise to prominence.
“This used to be our house, but no one lived here at that time. So I erected the poles and installed the nets, and we came here to practice for an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening. Until she got her practice, she wouldn’t sleep or eat. Since I was a bowler in my playing days, I didn’t mind giving throwdowns. She faced at least 400-500 balls every day,” Pradeep, 52, tells The Indian Express.
“It was a trying time for Pratika because she had scored a lot of runs in domestic cricket. We were starting to get worried as she was getting older. She had been playing U-19s since she was 12. She skipped one year because of her boards, but otherwise she had been playing non-stop. But she used to tell us that it’s a matter of destiny and never gave up.”
Against New Zealand, that perseverance was in full view. She had been getting starts in the tournament but hadn’t managed to convert them into big scores. Her 75 against Australia was a solid knock but her strike rate came under the scanner. Before Thursday’s match, head coach Amol Muzumdar backed his opener and she repaid the faith with a classy innings, moving through the gears after a sluggish start.
Pratika’s journey in cricket began at Rohtak Road Gymkhana under Shravan Kumar, who has mentored the likes of Ishant Sharma and Harshit Rana.
“She was the first girl I trained at my academy,” Shravan tells The Indian Express. “Her talent was evident and she used to stand up to boys older than her. She was focused and strong-willed right from the start. And she had excellent technique. After she joined, more girls started to join. Now there are 30 girls training under me.”
Pratika was always a keen athlete and it is courtesy Pradeep’s desire to see his first child take up sport. “I played cricket till my university days. I was an all-rounder, a medium-pace bowler and a hard hitter. But I didn’t get any guidance at that time, so I wanted to see my dreams realised through my first child. When Pratika was three, I taught her to hold a bat. I became a Level 1 BCCI umpire and my daughter used to come with me and watch my matches. She was also interested in basketball; she is a gold medalist at the national level, where she represented Modern School. But when she was 10-12 years old, we decided cricket was the best path for her.”
Her brother Shashwat Rawal calls Pratika a “genius.” She scored more than 92 percent in her 10th and 12th board exams and has completed her graduation in psychology.
“She has put in a lot of effort to balance her game and studies. Watching her play basketball, I started playing basketball as well. Then she transitioned to cricket as her main sport. She has played every sport in our school. I have seen how hard-working she is,” the 21-year-old engineering student says. “Even if we were all going out, she would prioritise her practice. She would never skip it even if she is hurt or tired.”
As a kid, Pratika was naughty, recalls her mother Rajni Rawal. “Bahut shaitaan bachchi thi. She used to have everyone running behind her. But as a cricketer, the biggest improvement came in her batting when she started working under Deepti (Dhyani) ma’am in 2017. Since then, she has been constantly improving, especially on fitness.”
Pradeep adds that the training regimen helped Pratika pile on a lot of runs in domestic cricket.
When Pratika was named in the ODI squad for the home series against West Indies late last year, replacing Shafali Verma, she was already 24 and it felt like a delayed reward.
“We actually felt her call came quite late, but there had to be an opening for her. Par der aaye durust aaye (Better late than never). We were always hopeful. We were in Ranchi for a friend’s wedding. When she gave me the news, I couldn’t stop crying,” the father says.
Since her ODI debut, she has formed a prolific opening partnership with Smriti Mandhana. “Smriti is her favourite. It was such an emotional moment when she received her cap from Smriti. And she is opening with her at the World Cup. She never lets pressure build on Pratika. It is a great honour to play and she keeps learning from her.” After the win against New Zealand, while accepting the player of the match award, Mandhana suggested that she was surprised and it should at least be shared with Pratika. “We are similar people in that we want to do the job, we do not talk a lot in the middle other than how many runs are needed and things like that. She is a good anchor, and really allows me to play my natural game. When she gets going, I can chip in with the anchor role. That really works for us,” Mandhana said.
It is that dedication to her craft and clarity of thought that has brought Pratika early success in her career. She still has areas to improve in her game but within a year of making her international debut, she has given enough reasons to believe that India have a bankable player for the future. As Pradeep put it, der aaye durust aaye.
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