'There is a World Cup coming': How 'Amol sir' motivated Renuka Singh Thakur through injury period

MUMBAI: Recuperating at the BCCI's centre of Excellence post the Women's Premier League-2025 after suffering a stress fracture on the back, Renuka Singh Thakur would often feel quite low. It was the second time that India's ace swing bowler was afflicted by a back injury, which left the India swing bowler uncertain about when she would stage her comeback.

During that long nine-month layoff from international cricket, it was India women's team head coach Amol Muzumdar who lifted the spirits of the Himachal pacer with some useful 'pep talk.' Eventually, Renuka played a key role in India's 2025 World Cup triumph.

"It was a tough phase. I was in touch with Amol sir. We were preparing for the ODI World Cup. During a long chat, Amol sir told me, 'Don't take tension. What's happened has happened. Nothing can be done about it, don't worry, there is a World Cup coming. I wasn't willing to accept that my back injury had recurred after two years. Now, I look back and think, 'Those six months were tough, but I couldn't have received a bigger reward,'" Thakur told TOI at the Gujarat Giants pre-season presser on Tuesday.

It was Renuka's tight first spell in the World Cup final-she didn't take a wicket but conceded just 28 in eight overs as India downed South Africa by 52 runs at the DY Patil Stadium on Nov 3. "I seriously never remember my bowling spells; for me, the important thing is that we should win," she quipped.

Renuka fondly recalls speaking to her mother, Sunita Thakur, who was celebrating back in her village, Parsa in Bashar, Shimla, after India clinched their maiden World Cup crown. "There was a party for 10 days at my home! I’ve a big family, so all the cousins and all other relatives gather at home when I’m playing for India. It’s so much fun to watch. I remember calling home after the World Cup final; I remember my mom was so busy celebrating that she didn’t even call me just after we won!"

Life is now, of course, different as a World Champion. “We’ve been very busy for the past month, not even getting time for ourselves! Earlier, people wouldn’t recognize us beyond a few big names. However, now everyone is recognizing us. This is a big change and that’s why a trophy win was needed,” Renuka said.

Having played for three WPL seasons with RCB, Renuka is now “quite excited to play for GG” this time. “I would like to win the WPL trophy for GG, because I’ve developed a ‘taste’ for winning trophies now! GG performed quite well last year; I have followed their matches. Just like RCB won for the first time and India won the World Cup, I want GG to win for the first time,” she said.

Dealing with serious injuries has taught Renuka a valuable lesson: Don't think too far ahead in life. Quizzed about whether she was excited for India's multi-format tour of Australia in Feb-March, the 30-year-old quick said, "I haven't thought that far ahead yet, as there’s no point in overthinking the distant future right now. I remember being very excited for the England series (in July last year), because I love playing there.”

Being a swing bowler, Renula’s favourites in the game aren't hard to guess! “I like all the swing bowlers- Jhuludi (Jhulan Goswami, (Mohammed) Shami, Bhuvneshwar (Kumar). Actually I like only pace bowlers!” she concluded.

'I still believe we are the best team in the world'

Meanwhile, Australia's off-spinning all-rounder and Gujarat Giants captain Ashleigh Gardener confessed that "defeat to India (in the 2025 ODI World Cup semifinals) was hard to digest," while asserting that she still believes that "Australia are the best team in the world."

"It was obviously really frustrating. I've said in the media since that World Cup, I'm not denying that I still think we're the best team in the world. World Cups showcase your win in those high-pressure moments. I think if we played any team ten times in a row, I would say that we're probably going to win eight or nine times. That might sound really cocky, but I believe that we are still the best team in the world. Yeah, it was a pretty hard defeat playing against a very good side. We obviously know how damaging India can be and we got challenged throughout. And ultimately they were the team to come out on top," Gardener stated.

Meanwhile, Sarah Taylor, the former England keeper-batter, will be the new fielding coach of Gujarat Giants in WPL-2026.


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