Renuka Singh Thakur ruled out of pink-ball Test against Australia, BCCI name replacement
Renuka Singh Thakur (Source: BCCI Women)
Published - 03 Mar 2026, 07:36 PM• Read time - 12 mins
Right-arm seamer Renuka Singh Thakur will not be available for selection for India's pink-ball Test against Australia starting Friday at the W.A.C.A in Perth. The pink-ball game is the only Test of the ongoing multi-format series between the two teams.
Renuka will be missing the game to "better manage her workload," and the BCCI has named pace-bowling allrounder Kashvee Gautam as her replacement.
"To better manage her workload, Renuka has been advised rest and will be unavailable for selection for the pink-ball Test. The BCCI Medical Team will be closely monitoring Renuka’s fitness progress," read a release from the BCCI.
Renuka finished the three-match T20I series as the third leading wicket-taker with four wickets at an economy rate of 6.36, behind N Sree Charani (5) and Arundhati Reddy (8).
Renuka has played three Tests in her career against South Africa, England, and Australia, respectively. She has bagged two wickets, and both of those came in the game against England.
Meanwhile, Gautam was a part of the ODI series against the Aussies and claimed three wickets in as many games at an average of 54.00 and an economy rate of 6.75. Gautam is also a handy batter lower down the order and would bolster the batting.
Other than Gautam, India's seam attack comprises Sayali Satghare, Kranti Gaud, and Amanjot Kaur, and neither of those players has played a Test match.
Across 11 Tests against Australia, India have managed only a single win, suffered four defeats, and seen six matches end in draws, a record that underlines the scale of the challenge. Their only win came at the Wankhede in December 2023.
India women vs Australia women Test Results
| Start Date | Match | Result | Ground |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Jan 1977 | Australia Women vs India Women | Australia won by 147 runs | Perth |
| 21 Jan 1984 | India Women vs Australia Women | Draw | Delhi |
| 28 Jan 1984 | India Women vs Australia Women | Draw | Lucknow |
| 3 Feb 1984 | India Women vs Australia Women | Draw | Ahmedabad |
| 10 Feb 1984 | India Women vs Australia Women | Draw | Wankhede |
| 26 Jan 1991 | Australia Women vs India Women | Draw | North Sydney |
| 2 Feb 1991 | Australia Women vs India Women | Australia won by 10 wickets | Adelaide |
| 9 Feb 1991 | Australia Women vs India Women | Australia won by 9 wickets | Melbourne |
| 18 Feb 2006 | Australia Women vs India Women | Australia won by an innings & 4 runs | Adelaide |
| 30 Sep 2021 | Australia Women vs India Women | Draw | Carrara |
| 21 Dec 2023 | India Women vs Australia Women | India won by 8 wickets | Wankhede |
India's updated squad for the pink-ball Test against Australia:
Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Pratika Rawal, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Amanjot Kaur, Harleen Deol, Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana, Vaishnavi Sharma, Sayali Satghare, Richa Ghosh (wk), Uma Chetry (wk), Kashvee Gautam, Kranti Gaud
