Pratika Rawal ruled out of historic Lord's Test with knee injury, Priya Punia named replacement

India opener Pratika Rawal has been ruled out of the one-off women's Test against England at Lord's due to a knee injury. The historic match begins on Friday. Priya Punia has been added to the squad as her replacement after the Women's Selection Committee confirmed the change.

Head coach Amol Muzumdar said Rawal sustained a cut on her knee during an India A match in Taunton earlier this month. The injury required stitches, ruling her out of the Test.

"Pratika has been ruled out of the Test match due to her injury in the India A match. She has got a cut on her knee which required some stitches. She is out for the Test match and Priya Punia has been added into the squad," Muzumdar said.

Lord's to host first-ever women's Test

The upcoming match marks the first women's Test to be played at Lord's, 142 years after the venue hosted its first men's Test.

Rawal's absence is a setback for India, with the opener having emerged as one of the team's most dependable top-order batters.

Rawal's rise in Indian cricket

Rawal progressed through the domestic circuit after making her senior debut for Delhi in 2021. One of her standout performances came with an unbeaten 161 against Assam. She also captained the Delhi Under-23 T20 side to the tournament final in 2024 before moving to Railways, a transition that coincided with her elevation to the national team.

She became the 150th woman to represent India in Women's One Day Internationals when she made her debut against the West Indies on December 22, 2024.

Rawal announced herself on the international stage against Ireland in early 2025 with a 154 off 129 balls. She shared a record 233-run opening partnership with Smriti Mandhana, helping India post a massive total.

She later became the fastest Indian woman to reach 500 ODI runs in eight innings and 1,000 ODI runs in 23 innings. She also recorded the highest aggregate by any female player in her first six ODI appearances.

At the 2025 ICC Women's ODI World Cup, Rawal scored 308 runs, including 122 against New Zealand to help India reach the semi-finals. Although injury forced her to miss the knockout stage, her performances contributed to India's title-winning campaign.

Rawal had also suffered an ankle injury during the ODI World Cup at home last year, which ruled her out of the tournament. She had made her debut against Australia earlier this year.

Priya Punia receives maiden Test call-up

Punia has earned her maiden Test call-up after impressing for India A in the recent one-day series against England A.

Born in Jaipur, Rajasthan, the 29-year-old is a right-handed top-order batter who can also bowl right-arm medium pace. She has represented India in limited-overs cricket but is yet to make her Test debut.

Punia made her international debut in a T20 International against New Zealand on February 6, 2019, and has since played for India in both ODIs and T20Is.

Strong India A performances earn selection

Punia's selection follows an impressive series against England A, where she scored 23 in the opening match before registering 87 and 61 in the next two games.

She finished as India A's highest run-scorer in the three-match one-day series with 171 runs and played a key role in India's 2-1 series victory.

Priya Punia's international record

Punia has played 12 Women's ODIs, scoring 273 runs at an average of 27.30. Her highest score is an unbeaten 75, and she has registered two half-centuries in the format.

She has also featured in three Women's T20 Internationals, scoring nine runs.