Opener Pratika Rawal, one of India's standout performers at the recently concluded Women's World Cup 2025, missed the historic final after suffering knee and ankle injuries during the last league match against Bangladesh at the DY Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai.

Team India's long-awaited dream of lifting the coveted Women's World Cup finally came true when they defeated South Africa in the high-stakes battle at the packed Navi Mumbai stadium on Sunday, November 2. The Women in Blue ended a 47-year wait to earn the tag of world champions, etching their names in the history of Indian cricket.

Pratika Rawal, who was replaced by Shafali Verma for the semifinal and final, was part of the celebrations of India's historic World Cup triumph. Still, the Indian opener missed out on receiving a winner's medal playing a pivotal role in India's journey to the title. This sparked debate over the ICC medal's rule and calls for recognising players who contributed throughout the tournament.

Why was Pratika Rawal Not Honoured with the Winner's Medal?

Pratika Rawal was the second-highest run-getter for Team India in the Women's World Cup 2025, amassing 308 runs, including a century and a fifty, at an average of 51.33 in seven matches. However, Rawal could not further participate in the tournament due to knee and ankle injuries and was replaced by Shafali Verma in the 15-member squad.

Despite being one of the top performers for India, Pratika Rawal was not given the World Cup winner following the Women in Blue's historic triumph. As per the International Cricket Council (ICC) rule, the winner's medal is awarded to those who were part of the 15-member squad as of the tournament's final match, meaning players who were ruled out and replaced before the final are not eligible to receive the medal.

Therefore, Pratika Rawal was left out of the official medal distribution ceremony, despite her pivotal contributions with the bat that played a major role in India's road to the final.

Kehte hai hamko pyar se India vale twitter/Vcz7naKgev

- Pratika Rawal (@PratikaRawal64) November 4, 2025

This was not the first time that a player who was part of the squad before being ruled out of the tournament did not get a winner's medal. Former Australia pacer Jason Gillespie faced a similar situation during the 2003 Men's ODI World Cup, missing out on the medal after being sidelined with injury midway through the tournament.

Amanjot Kaur Gesture Sparks Medal Row Again

On Wednesday, the World Cup-winning India squad met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Lok Kalyan Marg for a photoshoot and interaction, where Pratika Rawal was spotted wearing the winner's medal despite the ICC rulebook does not not officially awarding it to players who were replaced before the final.

Pratika was standing in the front row wearing the winner's medal, despite the medal regulations stating she was not eligible. Though ICC did not release an official statement on whether they bent the rules to award the winner's medal to the Indian opener, netizens believe that Pratika Rawal finally got her World Cup honour.

The victorious Indian Cricket Team met the Honourable Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modiji, at his official residence extend our heartfelt gratitude to the Honourable Prime Minister for his words of encouragement and support that continues to inspire #TeamIndia... twitter/8vcO4VgPf6

- BCCI Women (@BCCIWomen) November 6, 2025

PM Narendra Modi with Pratika Rawal. ❤️ twitter/tRnnlpI5St

- Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) November 6, 2025

However, a few people on social media noticed that Amanjot Kaur was the only one not wearing the winner's medal, while everyone else, including Pratika Rawal, was seen proudly wearing theirs, with many lauding the Punjab cricketer for passing the medal to Rawal for the photoshoot with PM Narendra Modi.

PHOTO OF THE DAY - Pratika Rawal with the winning medalas Amanjot Kaur gave her the medal during the photoshoot twitter/VxQCO9Ca9N

- Richard Kettleborough (@RichKettle07) November 6, 2025

Winning moments are priceless! Pratika Rawal beams with pride, holding her medal as Amanjot Kaur playfully awards it again during the photoshoot. Such lighthearted moments remind us of the joy in achievements's your favorite victory memory? Share below! twitter/DHO9UNLS7W

- Nut Boult (@NutBoult) November 6, 2025

Pratika Rawal beamed with pride as she stood alongside her teammates, wearing the World Cup winner's medal during the historic photoshoot with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his official residence in New Delhi. However, it is unclear whether Pratika received her winner's medal or if Amanjot Kaur personally handed it to her for the photoshoot.

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