Top News

Asian Games 2026: The Indian women's cricket team has suffered a major blow, as the team's middle order star batsman Jemimah Rodrigues has been ruled out of the upcoming Women's Asia Cup and Asian Games 2026 due to a serious right hamstring injury. The BCCI Women's Selection Committee has included young and talented player Pratika Raval in her place in the 15-member Indian team.

Jemimah Rodrigues out of Asian Games

Indian women's cricket team star Jemimah Rodrigues was ruled out of the upcoming tournaments due to injury. Jemima suffered a serious injury to her right hamstring while playing for Southern Brave during 'The Hundred' tournament played in England. The examination conducted by the BCCI medical team at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru has confirmed a 'high-grade tear' in his hamstring. Due to this injury, she will not be able to be a part of the Indian team on both the major platforms, the ongoing Women's Asia Cup 2026 in UAE and the subsequent Asian Games 2026 to be held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.

Pratika Rawal got a chance in Asian Games

It will not be easy for the Indian team to fill the gap of an experienced player like Jemimah Rodrigues. The Women's Selection Committee has included talented batsman Pratika Rawal, who has consistently performed brilliantly in domestic cricket and 'India-A', in the 15-member Indian team as a replacement for Jemima.

Pratika Raval also played a role in the 2025 Women's ODI World Cup winning team. Pratika has made her T20 International debut in the Women's Asia Cup 2026 being played in UAE. The team management has given him a chance at the important position of number 3. That means she will also be seen batting at this number in the Asian Games.

On which day will the Indian women's cricket team play its first match in the Asian Games?

Under the captaincy of Harmanpreet Kaur, the Indian women's cricket team will start its campaign in the Asian Games on 18 September 2026. In this quarter-final match, India will face the host country Japan. If Team India continues the winning streak, then the final match of the women's cricket tournament will be played on 22 September 2026, where the Indian team will again take the field with the intention of winning the gold medal. Let us tell you that last time also the Indian women's and men's team had won the gold medal in cricket.

Updated 15-member Indian squad for Asian Games 2026:

Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Smriti Mandhana (vice-captain), Shefali Verma, Pratika Rawal, Bharti Fulmali, Richa Ghosh (wicketkeeper), G. Kamalini (wicketkeeper), Deepti Sharma, Radha Yadav, Prema Rawat, Arundhati Reddy, Kranti Gaur, Renuka Singh Thakur, N. Shri Charani, and Nandani Sharma.