At the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup, Renuka Thakur will be India’s pace attacker, her first appearance on the national team in almost thirty-seven years since December 2024. India will start the campaign in Guwahati on September 30, 2025, when they play co-hosts with Sri Lanka.
India women head coach Amol Muzumdar earlier provided a report on the current condition of Renuka rehabilitation; this was given in preview of the next ODI series against Australia, which will commence September 14. Renuka, one of the claims to be the strike bowler India has with the new ball, has already collected 35 scalps at an average of 22.02 in One-Day Internation matches at a phenomenal economy rate of 4.85. The three game ODI series with Australia are on September 14, 17 and 19.
“Renuka has just joined in for this series. She was recovering and she cleared all her tests. Renuka is an important member of the team, she is the leader of the pack as far as medium-pace bowling is concerned. I think she’s been an integral part of this team. She had an injury, layoff, and now she’s back with us,” Mazumdar was quoted as saying by ICC.
Prior to the World Cup challenge, India will have a vital chance to hone their finest combinations throughout the three-match series against Australia. As the team attempts to build on their previous successful performances, the head coach emphasized that the series is even more important.
India demonstrated their supremacy earlier this year under Harmanpreet Kaur’s guidance, winning the ODI and T20I series in England in June and July after winning the Sri Lanka tri-series final by 97 runs in April and May.
“I think it’s (Australia) a very important series for us, and we’re looking forward to the series. Playing against one of the top teams in the world. We had a lovely tour of England. We had positive results which we wanted in England, and now we’re looking forward to this series,” said Muzumdar.
“Preparation” – Mazumdar on India women’s progress
Muzumdar also talked about the main lessons that the team should understand before the world cup, looking back at the successful England tour earlier this year. When asked about the plan of India in the upcoming series against Australia, the coach stressed the fact that the primary focus will be on perfecting tactics and ensuring that the team is prepared to face the challenges that will soon take place.
“We had the results as you know it. 2-1 in the ODIs, and we also won the T20I series, a first-time result in England. A great 40-day tour, and we gelled really well. It was a great team effort. Everyone contributed. [Our first win on the tour] Was set up really nicely by Smriti [Mandhana], who got a hundred at Trent Bridge, and ended really well with Harman getting a hundred at Durham.”
Amol Muzumdar
“In between, there were solid positives about most of the players who played. Somebody like Kranti Goud getting six wickets [was great]. Radha Yadav chipped in both the series. Deepti Sharma also chipped in, whether with the bat or the ball.”
Amol Muzumdar
“Australia has been the dominant force for so many years, but we focus on our preparations, and we tend to give a lot of importance to how we prepare ourselves, how we plan and how we are going to execute it [and] how we can focus internally.”
Amol Muzumdar
