Pratika Rawal begins work on breaking through boundaries

India opener Pratika Rawal said she has worked on finding "more boundaries in the powerplay" and taking advantage of the fielding restrictions in the first ten overs of an ODI innings. With scores of 100 not out and 61 in the two matches, Rawal is currently the leading run-getter in the ongoing ODI series against Zimbabwe.

"The more matches that I have played over the years, the more I am understanding the game better," Rawal said in Vadodara ahead of the third ODI. "So it's basically an adaptation of that game, adaptation of my batting and adaptation of how bowlers are bowling towards me. Yes, to be fair, I have worked on that as well to be able to find more boundaries in the powerplay because there are only two fielders outside so you can actually get an advantage of hitting a lot of boundaries."

Rawal, who has been India's preferred opener in ODIs alongside captain Smriti Mandhana since last year, has often attracted criticism for her strike rate. She scored 976 runs in 2025, the third-most in women's ODIs that year. However, they came at a strike rate of 83.99. Mandhana, who was last year's leading ODI run-getter, got her tally of 1362 while maintaining a strike rate of 109.92.

"When you see Smriti batting at the other end, you feel like there is a lot to learn," Rawal said, "And you feel like, what if I start doing the same thing? So I just try to replicate what she does when she is in her best version. Hopefully, I will get there as well."

There have been positive signs. During her century in the first ODI against Zimbabwe, Rawal hit seven fours inside the first powerplay where she made 43 off 37 balls. For comparison, in her previous century, which came exactly a year ago against New Zealand at the World Cup, she hit only three fours in the first ten overs, making 15 off 33 balls. In fact, hroughout India's successful World Cup campaign, Rawal had hit only 18 fours in the first powerplay, scoring at 70.3 in the first ten overs.

It also helped that Rawal knew she would continue to be India's opener even when Shafali Verma returned to the side. Rawal partnered with Mandhana when Shafali was dropped from the ODI squad last year, and formed a successful left-right combination at the top of the order during the World Cup. Her ankle injury provided Shafali with a chance to come back, and she grabbed it with both hands scoring a 78-ball 87 in the final.

India had already tried fitting all three players into their XI in Australia in February and Shafali was able to cope with the challenge of the No. 3 position a little better last Friday when she scored a 33-ball 64 not out.

Before this series, India played only one ODI with all three of Rawal, Mandhana and Shafali in the XI. Shafali scored 4 in that game, against Australia in February. Against Zimbabwe in Vadodara, Shafali coped a little better to the No. 3 spot, hammering a 33-ball 64 not out.

"There were no conversations inside the dressing room about the batting order to be very honest," Rawal said. "Me and Smriti knew that we were going in as openers and I think Shafali knew as well that she was going in one down, because that's the same batting order that we followed in the Australia tour as well. So I didn't know if there were any conversations [around the batting order]. Not that it was in my mind. I went with a clear mindset that I'm opening for the Indian team and that's how I went inside and there were no doubts about it."

Rawal came into the Zimbabwe ODIs on the back of playing for India in the women's Asia Cup in Dubai last month.

"The first thing I did after going home was to bat for a longer duration because it's a longer format," she said. "To be able to have that patience even when they are giving a flighted ball, just stay there and push it for a single and try to build your inning so that were the key points that I worked on when I was back home. Honestly when you bat for longer duration, you get that sense of confidence. You get that sense of feeling that, okay, you are timing the ball well and everything else just works out your way."