India's head coach gives major update on Renuka Thakur's injury status ahead of Women's World Cup 2025

India women's cricket team's head coach Amol Muzumdar came up with a massive update on Renuka Thakur's recovery ahead of the ODI series against Australia and Women's World Cup 2025, which is set to start from September 30.

India is set to play a three-match ODI series against Australia as a final tune-up for the Women's World Cup 2025, and Muzumdar confirmed that Thakur, who is set to lead the team's pace attack, is making good progress in her return.

Thakur has not played for India since December 2024, but Muzumdar provided details on her current status. The pacer is building up her workload and is expected to be fit for the upcoming ODI series against Australia, which begins on September 14. This series will mark her return to the national team and will be crucial for her to get back into rhythm before the start of the World Cup.

“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,” Muzumdar told reporters ahead of the series opener.

Thakur, a key player with the new ball, has taken 35 ODI wickets at an impressive average of 22.02 and an economy of 4.85. The upcoming three-match ODI series against Australia will be a crucial opportunity for India to finalize their best combinations for the World Cup.

According to Muzumdar, this series is also an important chance for the team to build on their recent strong performances. The Harmanpreet Kaur-led side has been in excellent form, having won the tri-series in Sri Lanka in April and May, and then defeating England in both the ODI and T20I series during their tour of the country in June and July.

“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,” he added.

When asked about India's preparations for the upcoming series against Australia, coach Amol Muzumdar stated that the team's primary focus would be on refining their strategies. This three-match ODI series, with games scheduled for September 14, 17, and 19, will be a crucial final test. The team will be looking to get their tactics and combinations right before they begin their Cricket World Cup campaign on September 30 against co-hosts Sri Lanka in Guwahati.

“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. How we can focus internally,” Muzumdar concluded.