Renuka Singh Thakur has been ruled out of India’s three-match ODI series against Zimbabwe, which starts on October 23 in Vadodara. The BCCI has named Jintimani Kalita as her replacement in the squad.
The BCCI said Renuka is still building up the bowling workload needed for ODI cricket at the BCCI Centre of Excellence and is not yet ready to handle the demands of the 50-over format. The announcement was made on October 22, a day before the series opener at the Kotambi Stadium.
Kalita, who recently played in the T20I series against Zimbabwe in Raipur, will now get a chance to join the ODI squad. She will compete with Nandni Sharma, Kranti Gaud and Sayali Satghare for a place in the playing XI, with the team management set to decide the final lineup based on its plans for each match.
The change was confirmed by BCCI Women on October 22, with the board posting that Jintimani Kalita replaces Renuka Singh Thakur in the ODI squad. The timing left the team management a day to settle on its bowling combination for the series opener.
Why Renuka Singh Thakur missed the Zimbabwe series
Renuka Singh Thakur is India’s lead new-ball bowler in white-ball cricket, and the decision to leave her out is about workload rather than form. She last played an ODI in March 2026 against Australia, and the BCCI’s medical and coaching staff want her to build her bowling fitness gradually at the Centre of Excellence before she returns to 50-over cricket. The board has taken a cautious line with her comeback, and the Zimbabwe series has come too soon.
Her absence means India will have to consider other bowling options for the series. The remaining seamers will get a chance to prove themselves and help the team start the series well, with Kalita’s inclusion giving the management an extra left-field option.
It is a cautious call, but one the board has made before with fast bowlers working their way back. Renuka Singh Thakur is a regular in India’s white-ball sides when fit, and her new-ball spells have often set the tone for the attack. The staff would rather have her fully ready for the bigger assignments ahead than rush her into a home series.
India’s updated ODI squad for the series
The updated squad is: Smriti Mandhana (captain), Shafali Verma, Pratika Rawal, Harmanpreet Kaur, Harleen Deol, Tejal Hasabnis, Deepti Sharma (vice-captain), Richa Ghosh (wicketkeeper), Yastika Bhatia (wicketkeeper), Vaishnavi Sharma, Nandni Sharma, Sree Charani, Kranti Gaud, Sayali Satghare and Jintimani Kalita.
Mandhana leads the side in the 50-over format, with Deepti as her deputy. The squad blends the senior core of Harmanpreet, Richa and Deepti with younger bowlers such as Vaishnavi Sharma, Nandni Sharma and Sree Charani, and Kalita now joins that group after her T20I outings in Raipur, while Renuka Singh Thakur continues her workload programme at the Centre of Excellence. Mandhana, meanwhile, is leading India in a full ODI series as captain for the first time, having started her tenure with the 3-0 T20I sweep over Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe, meanwhile, will take cues from their recent ODI win over the West Indies as they look to put the home side under pressure after the 0-3 hammering in the T20Is. The tourists are led by Josephine Nkomo.
What Renuka Singh Thakur’s absence means for India
India begin the three-match series as firm favourites after a 3-0 win in the T20I leg, and all three ODIs will be played at the Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara on October 23, 25 and 28. The series also marks the beginning of India’s 2025-29 Women’s Championship cycle, so every result carries weight beyond the immediate contest.
Without Renuka Singh Thakur’s new-ball swing, the early overs will fall to the rest of the pace attack, and the team management will have to settle its combination quickly. The first ODI starts at 2:00 PM IST on October 23 at the Kotambi Stadium, and India will begin their Women’s Championship cycle without Renuka Singh Thakur’s new-ball threat.