‘She’s the leader of the pack’ - Dressing room delighted to have Renuka Thakur back

Renuka Singh is set to spearhead India’s pace attack at the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup as she marks her return to the national side for the first time since December 2024. India will kick off their campaign in the marquee event against co-hosts Sri Lanka in Guwahati on September 30, 2025.

Ahead of the tournament, India women’s head coach Amol Muzumdar provided an update on Renuka’s recovery status, speaking before the upcoming ODI series against Australia, which begins on September 14. Renuka, regarded as India’s strike bowler with the new ball, has picked up 35 wickets in ODIs at an average of 22.02 and maintains an impressive economy rate of 4.85. The three-match ODI series against Australia will be played 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.

The three-match series against Australia will serve as a crucial opportunity for India to fine-tune their best possible combinations ahead of the World Cup challenge. The head coach emphasised that the series holds added importance as the team looks to build on their recent positive performances.

Under Harmanpreet Kaur’s leadership, India showcased their dominance earlier this year, clinching the Sri Lanka tri-series final by 97 runs in April-May, before carrying their momentum into the England tour in June-July, where they won both the ODI and T20I series.

“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 — the key to Mazumdar's Women in Blue

Muzumdar also highlighted the crucial takeaways for the side ahead of the World Cup, while reflecting on the successful England tour earlier this year. When asked about India’s approach for the upcoming series against Australia, the head coach stressed that the primary focus will be on fine-tuning strategies and ensuring the team is fully prepared for the challenges ahead.

“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.

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,” Muzumdar said.

“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,” he added.