India batter Jemimah Rodrigues has been ruled out of the upcoming Women’s Asia Cup and Asian Games after suffering a high-grade right hamstring tear while playing for Southern Brave in The Hundred in England. Rodrigues sustained the injury on August 3. The 25-year-old subsequently underwent an assessment by the BCCI Medical Team at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, which confirmed the extent of the injury.
Pratika Rawal returns to India squad Pratika Rawal has been named as Rodrigues' replacement in India's Asia Cup squad. Rawal, who has so far represented India only in ODIs, returns to the national setup after missing the recent England Test due to injury. The opener had suffered a knee injury while fielding for India A and required stitches after hurting herself during the match.
The Women's Asia Cup will begin in the UAE on August 28, with India placed in Group A alongside Pakistan, Thailand and Hong Kong. India's biggest group-stage fixture will be against arch-rivals Pakistan on September 5 in Dubai. The top two teams from each group will progress to the semi-finals, while the final is scheduled for September 13.
Rodrigues also misses Asian Games The hamstring injury will also keep Rodrigues out of the Asian Games in Nagoya, where women's cricket will once again be played in the T20 format from September 17 to October 3. India are the top-seeded team in the women's competition and will begin their campaign in the quarter-finals against Japan. A potential semi-final could see them face Bangladesh or Hong Kong, China. Pakistan are placed in the opposite half of the draw, meaning India and Pakistan can meet only in the gold-medal match or the bronze-medal play-off, both scheduled for September 22.
India's updated Women's Asia Cup squad
Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Smriti Mandhana (VC), Shafali Verma, Bharti Fulmali, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (WK), G. Kamalini (WK), Arundhati Reddy, Prema Rawat, Radha Yadav, Sree Charani, Renuka Thakur, Nandni Sharma, Kranti Gaud, Pratika Rawal.