In a landmark moment for Indian cricket, 29-year-old speedster Renuka Singh Thakur etched her name into the record books by completing 100 international wickets across formats during India’s crucial 53-run win over New Zealand, led by Sophie Devine, on 23rd October 2025 at the DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai. She also became the fastest Indian pacer to reach the landmark (81 appearances), surpassing former legendary Indian pacer Jhulan Goswami (143 appearances).
The rain-curtailed encounter not only sealed India’s place in the semi-final of the 13th ICC Women’s ODI World Cup 2025 with a game to spare but also marked a crowning milestone in Renuka’s evolving career as India’s pace spearhead. Her figures of 6-0-25-2 capped off a clinical bowling display that underlined her control and consistency under pressure, reaffirming her stature as one of the finest swing bowlers in the modern game.
India’s journey in the ongoing Women’s ODI World Cup, jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka from 30th September to 2nd November 2025, started on a positive note with back-to-back victories against Sri Lanka (by 59 runs), and Pakistan (by 88 runs), before stuttering to three successive defeats against South Africa (by 3 wickets), Australia (by 3 wickets) and England (by 4 runs).
However, the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side bounced back with a commanding 53-run win against New Zealand, led by skipper Sophie Devine at the DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai, on 23rd October 2025, to secure a spot in the semi-final. India currently sits 4th on the points table with 6 points from 6 games, standing strong with renewed momentum in their knockout push.
Renuka has played a steady supporting role in the attack, picking 2 wickets in 3 innings at an average of 45.50 and an economy of 3.79, providing crucial tight overs with the new ball, building immense pressure on the opposition’s top-order, with the new ball, despite modest returns in the wicket’s column.
Her ability to extract movement even on placid surfaces remains vital to India’s World Cup campaign, which now looks revived and full of promise heading into the semi-finals.
Since making her One Day International debut on 18th February 2022 against New Zealand at Queenstown, Renuka Singh has emerged as India’s most dependable seam option. In 24 ODI innings, she has taken 40 wickets at an impressive average of 24.22 and an economy of 4.88, including four four-wicket hauls and a five-wicket haul. Her best figures, 5 for 29 in 10 overs, came against the West Indies on 22nd December 2024 in Vadodara, a match India won comprehensively by 211 runs.
That memorable spell also earned her the Player of the Match award, reflecting her capacity to destroy batting lineups and shift momentum single-handedly. Renuka’s ODI growth has mirrored India’s fast-bowling transformation, combining seam discipline with sharp accuracy in middle overs.
Renuka made her T20I debut on 7th October 2021 against Australia at Carrara and has since become a vital cog in India’s limited-overs success. Across 54 T20Is (53 innings), she has scalped 58 wickets at an average of 21.74 and an economy rate of 6.36, including two four-wicket hauls and one five-for.
Her standout T20I display came in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup on 18th February 2023 at St George’s Park, Gqeberha, against England, where her magical figures of 4-0-15-5 rattled the top order despite India falling short by 11 runs. That performance announced her as a world-class strike bowler capable of dismantling any opposition with her late swing and relentless accuracy in the powerplay.
Although her Test career is still in its infancy, Renuka’s adaptability across formats has been noteworthy. She made her Test debut on 14th December 2023 against England at the DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai, the same venue where she celebrated her 100-wicket milestone in October 2025.
In three Test matches (six innings), she has picked up two wickets at an economy of 3.62, using her control and patience to contribute to India’s new-ball efforts in the longest format. Her presence ensures depth in India’s pace attack, a rarity in women’s Test cricket, reflecting her growing maturity and versatility.
Renuka Singh’s century of international wickets stands as a symbol of India’s fast-bowling resurgence in women’s cricket. From her memorable debut in 2021 to leading the attack in a World Cup semi-final push four years later, her journey has been marked by discipline, resilience, and constant evolution.
Known for her ability to swing the ball both ways and for her calm under pressure, Renuka now stands tall among India’s modern bowling greats. With form, fitness, and finesse on her side, India’s new-ball queen looks poised to script many more milestones in blue.
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