Renuka Thakur was in unplayable form as the Indian Women’s cricket team squared off against England in the Women’s T20 World Cup 2023 in South Africa on Saturday, February 18.
Thakur bagged a fifer, and with her illustrious feat, she etched her name in the history books by registering the best bowling figures by an Indian in T20 World Cup history.
The 27-year-old who was recently signed by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for a staggering Rs 1.5 crore in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2023 auction rocked England’s batting order from the get-go.
Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur won the toss and decided to bowl first as she unleashed Thakur upon England’s batters.
It took the Indian pacer just four balls to remove Danni Wyatt for a duck. In her second over, she dismissed Alice Capsey, and in her third over Thakur bagged the wicket of English opener Sophia Dunkley.
With three overs of her quota bowled, Thakur was given a rest by Harmanpreet and England roared back into the game.
However, when Thakur returned to bowl her final over, which was the last over of England’s innings, she removed set batter Amy Jomes who had scored 40 runs, before also adding Katherine Sciver-Brunt’s wicket to her tally.
She eventually finished her spell giving away just 15 runs, at an economy of 3.75.
And with her 5/15, Renuka Singh Thakur has registered the best bowling figures by an Indian ever in a T20 World Cup. What a day to deliver! #T20WorldCup2023 pic.twitter.com/oA4FpSNJ87— Sa. Gomesh | ச. கோமேஷ் (@SaGomesh) February 18, 2023
With her five-wicket haul, Renuka Thakur surpassed the likes of Priyanka Roy, Diana David, Poonam Yadav and Ekta Bisht to register the best bowling figures by an Indian in the history of T20 World Cup, even including the men’s sport.
The best-ever tally by an Indian player in the Men’s T20 World Cup was registered by Ravichandran Ashwin who scalped four wickets giving away just 11 runs against Australia in 2014.
Courtesy of Thakur’s fiery spell, India restricted England to a total of 151/7 in their respective 20 overs.
Nat Sciver-Brunt was the highest run-scorer on the day for her side as she notched a half-century, while skipper Heather Knight added 28 runs, and Jones also contributed 40 to the cause.
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