ENG-W vs IND-W: India opener Pratika Rawal says contact with England’s Ecclestone, Filer ‘not intentional’ during first Women’s ODI
India opener Pratika Rawal was fined 10 per cent of her match fee and handed one demerit point for ‘avoidable physical contact’ during the first women’s ODI against England on Tuesday. The batter clarified that the ‘shoulder contact’ with Sophie Ecclestone was unintentional.
“I was just running in my way, and the shoulder bash thing was completely out of (the blue). It was not deliberate in that sense. I don’t think there should be a reaction to it or maybe a fuss out of it. It wasn’t that intentional,” she said on Friday.
Two separate incidents happened during the first ODI at The Utilita Bowl in Southampton, where the 24-year-old stitched up a 48-run partnership with her vice-captain Smriti Mandhana and scored a steady 36 off 51 balls.
ALSO READ | Pratika Rawal fined for code of conduct breach; England penalised for slow over-rate
In the 18th over of India’s chase, Pratika took a single off Lauren Filer and ran for a run. While approaching the non-striker’s end, she made contact with the pacer. In the very next over, after being bowled by Ecclestone, she made contact with the spinner on her way back to the dressing room.
However, Pratika will be keen on forgetting these incidents as she looks forward to playing her first match at Lord’s on Saturday. “I’m very happy that I’m here in this sport, representing my country, playing against England on their home ground. So, I’m very excited, but I’m still holding my ground,” she said. “England is a very good team. So, I don’t feel like there’s an upper hand or anything like that. Because it’s a game and there could be small fractions that could make the difference.”
In the 12 ODIs that she has featured in, Pratika has amassed 674 runs, at an average of 61.27. With a home World Cup around the corner, she will be hoping to make every opportunity count. “Scoring well is important. We get a lot of confidence that is required [by playing against teams like England, Australia]. I think it’s a great initiative to play as many matches as we can. Also, the fact that our team is progressing right now is just amazing. And there has been a lot of contribution from all of us,” she said.
