Anjum Chopra questions Pratika Rawal's Asia Cup T20I call-up amid injury concerns
Synopsis
Former India captain Anjum Chopra has called Pratika Rawal's Asia Cup T20I call-up 'quite surprising' — pointing to a lengthy T20 absence, a recent injury, and the overlooking of established players like Anushka Sharma and Harleen Deol. Her broader charge: after 24 months of squad rotation, India's women's T20 pipeline still lacks visible logic or long-term thinking.
Key Takeaways
Anjum Chopra publicly questioned Pratika Rawal's inclusion in India's T20I squad for the Women's Asia Cup , starting 28 August in Dubai .
Pratika has not played a T20 game since the Challenger Trophy in November 2024 , where she scored 142 runs at a strike rate of 111.81 .
She was drafted in as a replacement for Jemimah Rodrigues , who suffered a high-grade right hamstring tear playing for Southern Brave in The Hundred .
Pratika's selection came ahead of Anushka Sharma and Harleen Deol , both previously part of the T20I setup.
Anjum proposed alternatives including Deepti Sharma at number three and Richa Ghosh , and raised concerns about the timing of the Asian Games squad announcement affecting player mental health.
Anjum flagged a broader lack of T20 pipeline clarity, noting squad rotation over 24 months has not produced settled players for the main team.
Former India captain Anjum Chopra has openly questioned the selection committee's decision to include opening batter Pratika Rawal in India's T20I squad for the Women's Asia Cup, beginning in Dubai on 28 August, saying she has found it difficult to understand the rationale behind the call-up. Pratika was drafted in as a replacement for Jemimah Rodrigues, who suffered a high-grade right hamstring tear while representing Southern Brave in The Hundred.
Why the selection raised eyebrows
This marks Pratika Rawal's maiden T20I call-up, and she has not featured in a T20 game since the Challenger Trophy in November 2024, where she scored 142 runs at a strike rate of 111.81. She also missed the WPL 2026 season for UP Warriorz due to an ankle injury sustained during the 2025 ODI World Cup. More recently, she sustained lacerations while fielding in an India 'A' 50-over game against England 'A', causing her to miss the historic one-off Test at Lord's in July.
Her selection came ahead of Anushka Sharma and Harleen Deol, both of whom had previously been part of the T20I setup, prompting questions about consistency of selection policy.
What Anjum Chopra said
'It's difficult to believe there was nobody else around that the Indian team could have picked. When I say that, I am not saying Pratika can't play T20, but why would you pick someone who has not played T20 in a long time?' Anjum said in an exclusive conversation on Wednesday.
She further questioned Pratika's likely batting position in the XI: 'If she isn't batting at number three, will she be batting lower down the order? If so, why is she in this team? Before Pratika made it to the squad, Anushka Sharma was tried. There is Raghvi Bist, who has been doing the rounds and Vrinda Dinesh, who has played for India 'A', and so many other players have been around.'
Anjum also flagged the psychological burden of stepping in for an established player: 'Pratika Rawal could turn out to be the best T20 cricketer India has ever seen. Time will tell, but this is not the right timing. She is coming back from an injury, hasn't played much competitive cricket, and you expect her to walk straight in at number three — a spot where Jemimah has possibly not cemented her position yet.'
Alternatives Anjum proposed
Rather than a single replacement name, Anjum laid out a broader set of options she believes were overlooked. 'If you need someone at number three, why not promote Deepti Sharma? With a left-hander in Smriti and a right-hander in Shafali opening, having Deepti at three balances the order. If not Deepti, make sure Richa Ghosh walks in,' she said.
She also raised the prospect of G Kamalini ending up in the XI by default, noting: 'Otherwise, G Kamalini might end up playing, and then we will be discussing why we are playing two wicket-keepers.'
Concerns over selection process and player welfare
Anjum's critique extended beyond this single pick to what she described as a broader lack of clarity in India's T20 pipeline. She pointed to the case of Yastika Bhatia, who was dropped from the Asia Cup squad despite having scored a historic Test century at Lord's, and raised concerns about the timing of the Asian Games squad announcement — made just two days after India's T20 World Cup campaign concluded.
'Imagine a player who has worked so hard to get into a World Cup team and is just trying to find her form. For a player to get back into fluency... that was helpful in Test cricket. But imagine a player who has just come back from an injury, gets into a squad, and is then told she will not be touring with the team for the Asia Cup and the Asian Games. Why would a player be in the best mental space while a tour is ongoing?' she said.
Anjum also questioned the broader pattern of squad rotation: 'It's baffling to think that after rotating so many players over the last 24 months, none of those players can find a place in the main Indian team today, even on the bench. With the team having won a 50-over World Cup, it's very surprising that there is no clarity on the pipeline or the long-term thinking.'
The Women's Asia Cup gets underway in Dubai on 28 August, with India's selection choices set to face an early on-field test.
Point of View
Merit-based T20 pathway. Pratika Rawal is a quality batter, but parachuting an injury-returning player with minimal T20 mileage into a continental tournament, while overlooking those who have done the rounds in WPL and India 'A' setups, signals that selection logic is not being communicated publicly. The Yastika Bhatia case compounds this — a player who scored a Test century at Lord's dropped within days of a World Cup. If the selectors have a coherent long-term plan, the burden is on them to articulate it; silence only fuels the perception that India's women's T20 squad is being assembled on instinct rather than strategy.
NationPress
26 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Anjum Chopra questioning Pratika Rawal's Asia Cup selection?
Anjum Chopra has expressed surprise because Pratika Rawal has not played a T20 game since the Challenger Trophy in November 2024 and is returning from an injury that caused her to miss the one-off Test at Lord's. Anjum argues that players with more recent T20 exposure — such as Anushka Sharma and Harleen Deol — were overlooked without clear explanation.
Why was Pratika Rawal selected for the Women's Asia Cup T20I squad?
Pratika Rawal was drafted into India's T20I squad as a replacement for Jemimah Rodrigues, who suffered a high-grade right hamstring tear while playing for Southern Brave in The Hundred. The Asia Cup begins in Dubai on 28 August.
Who does Anjum Chopra suggest should bat at number three instead of Pratika Rawal?
Anjum proposed promoting Deepti Sharma to number three, arguing it would balance the batting order alongside left-hander Smriti and right-hander Shafali at the top. She also suggested Richa Ghosh as an option, or players from the India 'A' and emerging squads who have had recent competitive exposure.
What is Pratika Rawal's recent form and fitness history?
Pratika last played a T20 game at the Challenger Trophy in November 2024, scoring 142 runs at a strike rate of 111.81. She missed WPL 2026 due to an ankle injury sustained during the 2025 ODI World Cup, and subsequently suffered lacerations in an India 'A' 50-over match, ruling her out of the historic Test at Lord's in July 2026.
Why did Anjum Chopra raise concerns about the Asian Games squad announcement timing?
Anjum noted that the Asian Games squad was announced just two days after India's T20 World Cup campaign ended, leaving players like Yastika Bhatia — who had just scored a Test century at Lord's — with little time to process their omission. She argued the announcement could have been delayed, as Pakistan did with their own Asian Games selections, to protect player mental wellbeing.
