India fast-bowling spearhead Renuka Singh Thakur on Thursday said she has been putting in efforts including studying her own videos from the past to rediscover swing bowling after a tough tour of South Africa last month.
The world No. 3 Indian team suffered a huge 1-4 defeat in the five-match T20I series against South Africa in a crucial away assignment in the build-up to the T20 World Cup next month in England.
Renuka, too, had found it tough as she managed a mere two wickets in four matches.
“I practise every day, but it’s not like I swing the ball every time. I struggled a lot with my bowling when I played in South Africa. But now I have a time of 10-15 days to bring my swing back,” Renuka told PTI in an exclusive interview ahead of the Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 beginning from June 12.
“When you don’t perform well, a lot of things do not work for you. I haven’t been able to swing [the ball] for some time, so I am trying to bring my swing back. I am checking my old videos to see what I used to do and hoping that it comes back,” she said.
Renuka said swing bowling is her strength and she understands wickets at the top are crucial for her side.
“I am working on my swing bowling since it is my strength. It is always beneficial for the team if the ball swings and I can get two to three wickets at the top for the team,” Renuka said.
“I back myself to bowl with the new ball, but since the same movement is not coming through, I am trying to work with the new ball to try and take wickets with it,” she added.
The Indian team is engaged in a training camp at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru from May 10-16 and will soon leave for England for a bilateral series and the T20 World Cup.
India will play a three-match T20I series against England before the T20 World Cup, and will also take on the host in a one-off Test at Lord’s later.
“We try to set up as many camps as possible, where planning is also involved. If something has not happened in the last series, we come into the camp and prepare on it for next series or tournament,” Renuka said.
“Before any assignment, we have a camp of at least 10 days so that we get time to work on ourselves. We are focusing on all areas, from fitness to skills, and we are also working on all those things where we had lacked in South Africa. We are giving importance to all aspects because we know that we will not get the time after this, so it is better to go on the tour fully prepared,” Renuka added.
Recalling her journey to top-flight cricket, Renuka said she became a fast bowler only because of the rule requiring them to bowl with a ball made of cloth.
“When I used to play cricket as a kid, there was a rule that you can only bowl pace. I used to play with my friends in the village. They used to play with balls made of cloth and slow bowling was not allowed with it,” she said.
“After that, I saw a lot of bowling of Zaheer Khan and I used to think ‘he bowls so well’. I had this mindset that I also want to become Zaheer Khan and bowl like him. He used to swing it both ways,” Renuka added.
Renuka, who made her India debut in October 2021, said a stint with Indian players in 2019 made her realise how far behind she was from international players.
“When I was not being selected, I used to think why it is not happening for me. But later I realised that I wasn’t ready for it. In 2019, I participated at an Indian camp. I realised that I wasn’t ready,” Renuka said.
“You don’t have much idea until you have trained and played with these players. When I played with these players like Harmanpreet (Kaur), I realised that I needed to work hard. I had found a path for myself from there in terms of how much I needed to improve so that whenever I come into the Indian team, I can have a long stint,” Renuka added.
Published on May 14, 2026