NEW DELHI: As a psychology student, Pratika Rawal has a fair understanding of how the human mind works - and her instincts told her that Shafali Verma, who replaced her in the World Cup knockouts, was destined to do something special in the final.

Her intuition proved spot-on, though it came amid heartbreak, as an ankle and knee injury cruelly ruled Rawal out of what would have been the two biggest matches of her career.

Jay Shah intervenes as injured batter Pratika Rawal to finally receive her World Cup medal

"Shafali doesn't need motivation. She plays with instinct and belief. Before the final, she came up to me and said, 'I'm really sorry you can't play,' and I told her it's fine, these things happen. I had a feeling she would do something special that day," Rawal told PTI Videos.

Rawal, who amassed 308 runs to sit third on the tournament's run-scorers list behind Smriti Mandhana (434) and Ashleigh Gardner (328), sustained the injury during India’s final group-stage match against Bangladesh.

The injury setback at such a crucial stage could have been mentally devastating, but for someone with a Bachelor's degree in psychology, Rawal found it easier to understand and manage her emotions during that difficult period.

"I should not say I am a psychologist yet because I haven't completed my Masters' degree," she smiled.

"But as someone who has studied psychology, it really helped me to understand human emotions better - including my own. The first thing is to accept what's happened. You can't undo it. Once I accepted the injury, I focused only on what I could control - recovery, sleep, nutrition, and supporting the team."

That pragmatic approach, she said, prevented her of suffering from self-pity.

"There was disappointment, yes, but no breakdown. My dad was there, my coach (Shravan Kumar) kept checking on me, my mom and brother called every day. I have such a good support system. They didn't let me spiral or feel alone," she said.

Her father, she recalled fondly, took the injury harder than she did.

"I don't show emotions easily, but my dad cried a lot - I had to calm him down," she laughed.

Things have been a bit surreal she admits since last Sunday when a wheel-chair bound Rawal was escorted by her teammates for on-field celebrations.

"It's going to take me a lot of time to get used to the fact that we have won the World Cup. It has not sunk in yet. Whenever I see that trophy, that's when I realised, oh, this has actually happened," she said.

She also cleared the air around the medal confusion that had gone viral.

"I have my own medal now. One of the support staff had lent me theirs temporarily because mine hadn't reached on time. Jay (Shah) sir has sent me a medal, someone told me. I was so happy but people made a big deal of it online, it will take some time but will come to me," she clarified.

Since making her debut in 2022, she has scored more than 1,100 runs in 24 ODIs with two centuries, seven fifties and a staggering average of 50.45, numbers that underline her growing stature.

She emphasised that the team never paid attention to the outside chatter when it lost three games on trot.

"We didn't think about social media or criticism. It was always about what was happening inside our dressing room. We had a lot of open conversations, and everyone took responsibility. That was the difference."

On her own batting approach, Rawal said she doesn't believe in fixed roles.

"Every match demands something different. If Smriti (Mandhana) gets out early, I'm told to anchor and stay long. If we need to score runs quickly, I'm asked to accelerate. For me, it's never about personal milestones, it's about the team's rhythm," she said.

On her recovery, Rawal sounded optimistic.

"I'm feeling a lot better now. My x-ray is due in a few days, and I'm doing most things on my own. I've started light mobility work too. Once the doctors clear me, I'll start batting again. I'm very excited to return — I miss holding the bat," she said.

The young batter shared a lighter moment from the team's visit to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the win.

"He offered me bhel because I was on a wheelchair. I remember thinking, ‘Oh my God, this is the most expensive bhel I've ever had!'" she said, laughing.

With her degree in psychology giving her a mental edge and her on-field performances marking her as one of India's most promising batters, Rawal's focus is now on returning to the game stronger than before.

"My next target is to complete rehab properly and come back for the domestic season. I don't like rushing recovery. I'm a person who can bat all day and still not get tired — I want to get back to that zone," she said.

And beyond that?

"Maybe the next WPL season," she said with a smile.

"For now, it is all about being fit, training smart, and doing justice to the opportunities that come my way".