NEW DELHI: Ahead of a test against England at Lord’s, India were forced into a late change after opener Pratika Rawal was ruled out with a knee injury. The Women’s Selection Committee named Priya Punia as her replacement for the match, which starts on Friday.Pratika picked up an injury to her right knee while playing for India A in the second One-Day match against England A in Taunton. The injury required stitches, and he had not recovered in time to take part in the Test. Head coach Amol Muzumdar confirmed the loss before the match.“Pratika has missed the Test match due to her injury in the India A match. She sustained an injury to her knee which required several stitches. She is out of the Test match and Priya Punia has been added to the squad,” said Muzumdar.Priya earned the call-up after an impressive performance in the recently concluded three-match One-Day series against England A. She finished as India A’s highest run-scorer with 171 runs in three matches and played a major role in the team’s 2-1 series win.Pratika made her Test debut against Australia earlier this year, scoring 81 runs in two innings, including a half-century in the second innings.Talking about her love for the top format after the debut, Pratika said.“Test cricket is the best format. Since childhood my father and coach told me that doing well in this format is very important.
India’s squad for the one-off Test against England.
Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Smriti Mandhana (vice-captain), Shafali Varma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (wicketkeeper), Sree Charani, Yastika Bhatia (wicketkeeper), Nandini Sharma, Harleen Deol, Renuka Thakur, Kranti Gaud, Sayali Satna, Sayali Satna.