ENG W vs IND W 2026: Pratika Rawal ruled out of historic Lord’s Test, India call Priya Punia as replacement

Pratika Rawal (Source: James Worsfold – CA/Cricket Australia via Getty Images)

India Women have suffered a major setback ahead of their historic one-off Test against England Women, with Pratika Rawal being ruled out just two days before the game at Lord’s Cricket Ground. The four-day game is set to commence on July 10 and will be the first Women’s Test match to happen at the historic venue.

The Women’s head coach, Amol Muzumdar, confirmed the news during the pre-match press conference on Wednesday, July 8.

According to India Today, the opening batter sustained a cut on her knee whilst representing India Women’s A against England Women’s A at Taunton. She would subsequently need stitches, making her unavailable for selection in what would have been her second Test for the Women in Blue.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have named Priya Punia as her replacement in the side. The 29-year-old last represented India back in 2024. Having played 12 ODIs and three T20Is before, the right-handed batter is in line to make her Test debut against England.

Punia is coming on the back of excellent performances for India A in England. In her last two matches, she has scored 87 and 61, whilst playing as an opening batter, making her an ideal choice to fill in for Rawal for the Test match.

Rawal, meanwhile, was one of the few Indian players to have a decent outing against Australia in their one-off Test at the WACA earlier this year. She was one of only two Indian batters to score a half-century in the game, hitting 63 off 137 balls in the second innings, whilst batting at number three.

As far as the hosts are concerned, star batter Tammy Beaumont has announced her retirement from international cricket at the end of the Lord’s Test against India.

India’s updated squad for the Test against England: 

Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Smriti Mandhana (VC), Shafali Varma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Priya Punia, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (WK), Sree Charani, Yastika Bhatia (WK), Nandani Sharma, Harleen Deol, Renuka Thakur, Kranti Gaud, Sayali Satghare, Sneh Rana

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