In Pratika Rawal, India might have unearthed a gem

Batting has been an area of concern for the Indian women's cricket team for quite a while now.

Although big names such as Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur continue to serve the team to their fullest capability, the Indian batting unit has relied heavily on them, so much so that if they are dismissed cheaply, it is more or less certain that the team hits a speed bump.

One player who displayed tremendous promise but failed to replay the faith shown in her was Shafali Verma. The flamboyant opener was dropped after a disappointing set of scores across both formats in white ball cricket.

With the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup looming large, India's batting appeared deplorable, especially after a humbling 3-0 whitewash down under against the Australians where no Indian scored over 100 runs across three ODIs.

Enter Pratika Rawal

In such times of need, a new hope has emerged for the batting unit in the form of young Pratika Rawal, who was named in the Indian squad for the West Indies WODI series.

Slotting into the opening position, she accumulated 134 runs in three innings and looked good for the money, showcasing impressive technique against the new ball. That she was able to stitch small partnerships with Smriti augured well for the team.

But in the series against Ireland, she elevated herself to a whole other level, scoring runs for fun and in doing so, has well and truly announced herself on the international stage.

In three matches, she scored a whopping 310 runs at an astonishing average of 103.3, scoring two fifties and one mega hundred.

In all, she has 444 runs in just six innings in WODIs so far, and more importantly, she has not looked like a newcomer.

An accumulator of runs

While one might not consider West Indies and Ireland as the litmus test for the highest quality of international cricket in the women's circuit, a good look at the way Rawal plays is an indication of the kind of player she is.

Fitting into the modern-day WODI opener style, she mixes caution with aggression and relies on timing rather than brute power, which makes her a treat to watch.

Strongest on the square of the wicket, Rawal has shown solid technique in playing the ball under her eyes, be it in front of the wicket or square of it. Also, she has a tendency of picking length up very quickly, a much vaunted tenet in a top order player.

Additionally, it does appear like she has all the time in the world, a trait of a really good batter.

Another important facet of her batting is her ability to accumulate runs not just via boundaries but also by running the ones and twos.

She has shown all the hallmarks of a good opening batter - astute technique, reliance on timing, building an innings with not just boundaries but through running between the wickets, and the ability to bat for long periods of time.

The Mandhana-Rawal combination

One question that has remained in everyone's mind, with the World Cup looming large, is that of the batting combination for India.

In the six matches where Mandhana and Rawal have opened together, they have stitched together four 100+ run partnerships but it is still too early to cast the combination in stone as the sure shot way forward for India.

A much better litmus test would be the upcoming tour of England later this year in July, where this combination will be tested in tough English conditions.

The Shafali Verma connundrum

While India looks like they have moved on from Shafali for the time being, the Haryanvi has been tearing up the domestic circuit and has already started knocking on the selector's door yet again.

In the recent Senior Women's One Day tournament, Verma has top-scored with 527 runs at an average of 75.28, and in the One Day Challenger Trophy as well, she has amassed 388 runs at an average of 97.

While Verma is undoubtedly gifted batter, her lack of consistency and an inability to build an innings has been her undoing. That said, her big scores in domestic circuit appear to be an act of course correction.

Thus, Pratika Rawal's emergence as a talent of promise has now given the selectors a nice little headache. Chances are that the selectors might hand her a rather lengthy rope and only time will tell if she can continue living up to the expectations and deliver the goods.

But in the dark times of uncertainty, Team India has indeed unearthed a gem in Rawal.