In a setback for the Indian women’s cricket team ahead of the historic pink-ball Test against Australia, fast bowler Renuka Singh Thakur has been ruled out of the one-off match scheduled to begin on March 6 at the WACA Ground in Perth.
Why Renuka Singh will not play the only Test against Australia?
The BCCI’s decision to withdraw Renuka stems from a proactive workload management strategy rather than any fresh injury concern. The right-arm seamer featured in all three T20Is against Australia, claiming four wickets, and also played in the first and third ODIs, taking one wicket across those appearances.
“Team India pacer Renuka Thakur has been ruled out of the Only-Test at the WACA Ground in Perth, which is part of the ongoing multi-format series against Australia Women. To better manage her workload, Renuka has been advised rest and will be unavailable for selection for the pink-ball Test,” the BCCI stated in an official release.
The board emphasized that the BCCI Medical Team will be closely monitoring Renuka’s fitness progress in the lead-up to the all-important Women’s T20 World Cup 2026, which begins in June. This marks another instance of the BCCI carefully managing the pacer’s workload following her return from injury during the home ODI series against Australia last year.
Renuka Singh’s replacement for the Perth Test
Replacing Renuka is 22-year-old Kashvee Gautam, who receives her maiden Test call-up following a promising start to her limited-overs international career. The BCCI confirmed: “The Women’s Selection Committee has named Kashvee Gautam as her replacement. Kashvee was also part of the ODI squad in the ongoing multi-format series.”
In the ODI series against Australia, Kashvee showcased her all-round potential, scoring 68 runs in three matches at an average of 22.66 with a strike rate of 85, while also taking three wickets at an economy rate of 6.75. She has played six ODIs for India overall, claiming three wickets, and boasts 19 wickets from 18 Women’s Premier League (WPL) matches.
Beyond her white-ball credentials, Kashvee impressed in the recent domestic multi-day tournament, scoring an unbeaten 106 off 86 balls against an attack featuring Nandani Sharma, Kranti Gaud and N Shree Charani. She finished as the tournament’s tenth-highest run-getter while also picking up four wickets from three games.
India’s updated Test squad
Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harleen Deol, Pratika Rawal, Richa Ghosh (wk), Uma Chetry (wk), Amanjot Kaur, Sneh Rana, Sayali Satghare, Deepti Sharma, Kranti Gaud, Kashvee Gautam, Vaishnavi Sharma.
This article was first published at WomenCricket.com, a Cricket Times company.
