Rawal Ruled Out of Historic Lord’s Test; Punia Called Up as Replacement

Rawal suffered the injury while fielding during the second one-day match against England A in Taunton last week, forcing her to sit out India A’s run chase of 300. Head coach Amol Muzumdar confirmed the setback involved a cut on the knee requiring stitches, while also announcing Punia’s inclusion.

Although uncapped at Test level, Punia impressed during the recently concluded A-series, scoring two half-centuries across three innings. She is now expected to compete with Harleen Deol and Yastika Bhatia for the number three position vacated by Rawal, who contributed a crucial half-century in the second innings of India’s previous Test appearance against Australia in March—a match the visitors lost by 295 runs.

The latest injury continues a frustrating run for Rawal, whose breakthrough year included a stellar World Cup campaign at home last November. An ankle twist sustained while fielding against Bangladesh in the final league game sidelined her for the semi-final and final, and she subsequently missed the Women’s Premier League season with UP Warriorz.

This fixture marks only India’s second Test of the year and the first-ever women’s Test to be staged at Lord’s. Following a group-stage exit at the T20 World Cup, the squad took a five-day break before assembling for a five-day preparation camp at Wormsley ahead of the historic encounter.

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