India’s second win in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup was overshadowed by the ankle injury sustained by Shreyanka Patil. The off-spinner was a key member of the Indian team and displayed her value in the field with arguably the catch of the tournament in India’s opening match against Pakistan. As a replacement for Patil, the Uttarakhand leg spinner Prema Rawat has been included in the Indian squad, and she will join the rest of the group over the weekend.
Uncompromising accuracy: The Prema Rawat blueprint
Hailing from Bageshwar, Uttarakhand, 24-year-old Rawat is a promising right-arm leg-break bowler and handy lower-order batter. She broke out domestically during the 2023 Senior Women’s T20 Trophy, finishing as the second-highest wicket-taker with 16 scalps. This performance helped her to get recognized and earned her a major INR 1.2 crore contract with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) for the 2025 WPL season, the same franchise where Patil was a key member.
Rawat played only 6 matches for the franchise over the last two seasons, picking up three wickets. Clearly, she is Patil’s understudy for the franchise, and hence her chances are limited. However, Rawat is frequently featured for the India A teams, and despite not making her international debut, she still has extensive international exposure, thanks to her participation in A team tours and Rising Star teams.
She toured Australia last year with the India-A team and returned as the highest wicket-taker for the team with 7 wickets in 3 matches. She was also a member of the triumphant India-A team in the Women’s Rising Star Asia Cup. She played in all five matches in the tournament and finished with 8 wickets at an economy rate of 4.27, best among the Indians. In the final, her 3/12 helped India bundle out Bangladesh-A for just 88 runs and win by 46 runs.
With the pitches in England helping the spinners, there is every chance that Rawat may make her international debut during the tournament. Thanks to her accuracy and the variety she provides with her leg spin to add a new weapon in India’s arsenal.
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