Pratika Rawal Awarded World Cup Medal Following Jay Shah’s Intervention
Jay Shah intervenes to ensure injured batter Pratika Rawal receives her World Cup winner’s medal before India’s team meet PM Modi.
India batter Pratika Rawal, who missed the latter stages of the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 due to injury, has finally received her winner’s medal after ICC Chairman Jay Shah personally intervened.
Pratika injured herself during India’s final league game against Bangladesh and was ruled out of the knockout stages. Shafali Verma replaced her and starred in the semi-final win against South Africa, earning the Player of the Match award.
Despite being part of the squad and contributing during the group stage, Pratika was initially left out of the official medal list since ICC regulations allow medals only for the 15-member squad. She joined the victory celebrations in a wheelchair but did not receive a medal at first.
Her father, Pradeep Rawal, revealed that Jay Shah stepped in to resolve the issue.
“Jay Shah texted us and said that we would receive the medal. Pratika got the medal before the team met with Prime Minister Modi. Jay Shah informed Pratika,” Pradeep told India Today.
The ICC and BCCI have not issued public statements about the matter, but the gesture has been widely appreciated by fans on social media, who called it a “touching act of fairness.”
Pratika was seen proudly wearing her medal during the team’s meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Droupadi Murmu in New Delhi.
Her story has struck a chord with fans, highlighting how contributions from injured or sidelined players often go unnoticed. Jay Shah’s move ensured that every member who played a role in India’s historic World Cup triumph received due recognition.
