Jemimah Rodrigues ruled out of Asia Cup, Asian Games: Details
What's the story
Indian cricketer Jemimah Rodrigues has been ruled out of the upcoming ACC Women's Asia Cup in the UAE and the Asian Games in Japan. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed that she suffered a high-grade tear in her right hamstring on August 3 while playing The Women's Hundred tournament in England. The injury is a major blow for India's middle-order batting lineup as they head into two major tournaments.
Replacement announcement
Pratika Rawal named as replacement
The Women's Selection Committee has announced Pratika Rawal as a replacement for Rodrigues in the Asia Cup squad. The BCCI is yet to announce a replacement for the Asian Games.
Rawal's inclusion adds another top-order option to the team, which will be captained by Harmanpreet Kaur with Smriti Mandhana as vice-captain.
Other key batting players in the revised 15-member squad include Shafali Verma, Bharti Fulmali, Deepti Sharma and Richa Ghosh.
Strategic impact
Challenge for India
Rodrigues's injury comes just weeks before the two tournaments, throwing a major wrench in India's plans.
The immediate challenge for the team will be to fill the gap left by her absence in the middle order.
Meanwhile, Rawal will look to make a strong case for her inclusion in future squads with an impressive performance at Asia Cup.
Final lineup
India's complete squad for Women's Asia Cup
The updated Asia Cup squad for India includes 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 and Pratika Rawal.
Renuka Thakur Nandni Sharma and Kranti Gaud complete the final lineup.
The eight-team tournament will begin on August 28 with the final scheduled for September 13 at Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
Information
Decoding Rodrigues' numbers in WT20Is for India
Rodrigues has played 131 WT20Is for India. From 118 innings, she owns 2,824 runs at 29.41. She has hit 16 fifties for India with the best score of 76. Her strike rate is 119.