Pratika Rawal has reportedly received her ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 winner’s medal, after a picture of her wearing it during the team’s meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi went viral. The meeting took place on November 5 at the Prime Minister’s residence on Lok Kalyan Marg, New Delhi.
Team India created history on November 2, defeating South Africa in the final at the DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai, to clinch their maiden Women’s ODI World Cup title. Unfortunately, Pratika missed the knockout stage after suffering a knee and ankle injury during the league stage match against Bangladesh. Following her injury, India brought in Shafali Verma as her replacement and she went on to win the Player of the Match award in the final for her all-round brilliance.
As per ICC regulations, players who are replaced during a tournament and are not part of the final 15-member squad are not eligible for a winner’s medal. Hence, Pratika was not awarded one immediately after the final. Despite that, she was seen celebrating India’s historic win from her wheelchair, draped in the national flag but without a medal around her neck.
Before her injury, Pratika had an impressive run in the tournament. In six innings, she scored 308 runs, including one fifty and one century, at an average of 51.33, finishing as the fourth-highest run-scorer of the tournament.
“I can’t express enough. There are no words. This flag on my shoulder means a lot to me. And you know, being here with my team, it’s just surreal,” Pratika said after the final. “To be very honest, it was very difficult for me to sit down and watch the match because it’s actually very difficult.”
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Now, in the viral picture, Pratika can be seen wearing a medal during the meeting with Prime Minister Modi. However, some fans noticed that star all-rounder Amanjot Kaur was not wearing hers, sparking speculation that she might have handed it to Pratika.
The opening batter also posted a photo of herself on her X account wearing the medal, captioned: “Grateful. Inspired. Honoured to meet our PM @narendramodi.”
Grateful. Inspired. Honoured to meet our PM @narendramodi pic.twitter.com/U8VUBLJxvy— Pratika Rawal (@PratikaRawal64) November 6, 2025
According to a source close to the team, Pratika was given the medal the day after the final. However, there has been no official confirmation from the ICC, BCCI, or Pratika herself. As per ICC rules, medals are reserved for the 15 players in the final squad of the winning team.
If the reports are accurate, it means the ICC made a rare exception, allowing a deserving player, who contributed significantly before injury, to receive her World Cup winner’s medal. Official confirmation, however, is still awaited.
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