Indian Women's Cricket Team Faces Setback Ahead of Test Against Australia

The Indian Women's cricket team is facing a setback as pacer Renuka Singh Thakur has been ruled out of the upcoming Test match against Australia in Perth. To manage her workload, Kashvee Gautam has been named as her replacement. Renuka has been a key player in the series, but the decision aims to ensure her long-term fitness. With Australia leading the multi-format series, the Indian team will look to make a strong showing in the Test match. Read on for more details about the squad and the current series status.

By Narendra Chaudhary Mar 4, 2026, 09:46 IST

Renuka Singh Thakur Ruled Out of Test Match

The Indian Women's cricket team has encountered a challenge before their upcoming Test match against Australia in Perth. Veteran pacer Renuka Singh Thakur will not participate in the match to manage her workload effectively. In her place, Kashvee Gautam has been selected as a replacement. Renuka played in all three T20Is and two ODIs against Australia, but the team has announced that she will miss the four-day match at the WACA Ground starting this Friday to ensure proper workload management. During her recent outings, she took four wickets in the T20Is and one wicket in the ODIs.

BCCI Announces Replacement

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed that Kashvee Gautam will step in for Renuka. A media advisory stated, "Team India pacer Renuka Thakur has been ruled out of the Only-Test at the WACA Ground in Perth, which is part of the ongoing multi-format series against Australia Women. 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."

The advisory further noted, "The Women's Selection Committee has named Kashvee Gautam as her replacement. Kashvee was also part of the ODI squad in the ongoing multi-format series."

Current Series Status

Australia currently holds an unassailable 8-4 lead in the multi-format series after achieving a clean sweep in the ODI segment. However, India previously clinched the T20I series with a score of 2-1.

India's Test Squad

The squad for the Test match includes: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harleen Deol, Pratika Rawal, Richa Ghosh (wk), Uma Chetry (wk), Amanjot Kaur, Sneh Rana, Sayali Satghare, Deepti Sharma, Kranti Gaud, Kashvee Gautam, and Vaishnavi Sharma.