These days, one name is much discussed in the Indian women’s cricket team. That is, star batsman Pratika Raval who has created a distinct identity for herself in just one year of cricket career. Pratika fulfilled her father’s unfulfilled dream. Actually, Pratika’s father Pradeep himself wanted to become a cricketer.
Pratika fulfilled her father’s unfulfilled dream with her hard work and dedication. Last year, she was selected as the opener for the West Indies series in place of Shafali Verma. At that time, it seemed as if for his father Pradeep Rawal, he had fulfilled his unfulfilled dream. The tears of Pratika’s family were not stopping.
Pratika may have started playing cricket at the age of just 3 years but Pratika was also very good in studies. He maintained an excellent balance between his studies and sports. His brother says that, he scored more than 92 percent marks in 10th and 12th board examinations. She used to play every sport in school also. After that she became a star of cricket and chose it as her main sport.
Pratika’s father told Indian Express in an interview that she played cricket till her university days. He was an all-rounder during that time who was a hard hitting medium pace bowler. But he could not get the right opportunity and advice at that time. Pradeep Rawal further said that he wanted to fulfill his dream through his child. When Pratika was just three years old, I taught her to hold a bat.
Pratika’s father further said that, I became a level 1 umpire of BCCI and Pratika used to go with me and watch the matches. He was also interested in basketball, winning gold for Modern School at the national level. When she turned 10-12 years old, we chose cricket as the right path for her future.
Pratika’s father has played an important role in her successful career. His father did all the hard work needed to train him and make him a cricketer. Pradeep told that the time of Covid was the most difficult time of Pratika’s career. Due to that, the start of his career was delayed.
Pratika’s father made a pole and net for her on the roof of the house. He used to practice with his daughter for one hour every morning and one hour in the evening. She neither ate nor slept unless she did her exercises.
Let us tell you that Pratika made her debut in ODI last year. On 22 December 2024, Pratika Raval was seen playing in blue jersey for the first time. Not even a year has passed that she is surprising everyone with her excellent performance in the ODI World Cup 2025. So far, he has played an excellent inning of 122 runs in 134 balls against New Zealand, which also includes 13 fours and 2 sixes.