Fit-again Renuka Singh Thakur back to spearheading India
The pacer’s five-wicket haul gave the hosts a 211-run win over Windies in the first women’s ODI on Sunday
New Delhi: Renuka Thakur knew that to achieve the breakthrough performance she was aiming for, a conversation with the legendary Jhulan Goswami was necessary.
The last time an Indian pacer took a five-wicket haul in women’s ODIs was back in 2011, when Jhulan delivered a stunning 6/31 against New Zealand at Southgate. Renuka ended the long wait for another with her remarkable 5/29 against West Indies in the first ODI at Vadodara on Sunday.
“I have been playing T20s a lot and all the cricket to come now is ODIs; I spoke to Jhulan di for that. She advised that the more I bowl in the same spot, the more effective it will be,” said Player-of-the-Match Thakur at the post-match presentation.
Pressure had been mounting on Thakur and the rest of the Indian bowling unit. A clean sweep by Australia in ODIs, fierce competition for spots, and the looming ODI World Cup added to the intensity of the moment, but all Thakur could express and talk about was the joy of it all.
“It’s my first five-wicket haul, so it gives me a lot of joy. I think it is tougher to pick up wickets in ODIs,” the 28-year-old added.
India piled up 314/9 with all the top six batters making a mark. In reply, West Indies’ chase never got going as Thakur picked up four wickets bowling eight overs on the trot with the new ball, reducing the visitors to 11/4 and 26/5 after which the innings crumbled.
To successfully chase the mammoth total, a miracle was needed from Deandra Dottin or skipper Hayley Matthews or, ideally, both. Thakur quickly extinguished any such hopes with the sharp opening spell.
Matthews and fellow opener Qiana Joseph, who had shown promise with quick starts in the T20Is, were dismissed early -- Matthews fell to Thakur after Joseph was caught short of her crease first ball of the innings and the Indians capitalised on the chance. Thakur then delivered the decisive blow, clean-bowling Dottin to all but seal the match.
Thakur emphasised on her fitness, which had been a big reason for her irregular selection or underwhelming performances in the last couple of years. A stress injury had sidelined her since the end of the Women’s Premier League in 2023 and caused her pace to drop from 120-130kph to 90-100kph.
“I have worked a lot on my fitness which is why I could bowl eight overs on the trot. It was proof that I am indeed fit,” said the pacer from Himachal.
Thakur is well known for her inswingers, and she is especially lethal with the new ball. If there is help from the pitch conditions, as was the case in Vadodara on Sunday, she is sure to stand out. However, with the temperatures now starting to dip in most of the subcontinent, dew in evening games was also anticipated as a factor to consider by head coach Amol Muzumdar.
Thakur highlighted that it was a plan they already worked on before the series. She said: “The plan was to bowl stump to stump but there were some patches, so they helped. It also got colder in the evening and the dew started to settle in, so it helped us.”
In the past year, Thakur has picked up 12 wickets in 10 ODIs and 22 wickets in 29 T20Is. With less experienced players like Saima Thakor and Titas Sadhu coming in to the side and in Pooja Vastrakar’s absence, Thakur will be expected to lead the pack in the build-up to the World Cup in September-October next year.
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