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Star India pacer Renuka Singh Thakur has admitted that although her hard work has paid off to culminate in an ODI World Cup title, she is thankful to her mother and uncle, who spotted her talent early on and supported her in every manner possible to reach the current level. Renuka, from Parsa village in Rohru tehsil of Shimla district, opened the bowling in India’s 52-run win against South Africa in the World Cup final on November 2, helping the team clinch its first-ever title. Renuka’s rise from the lanes of Rohru to the world stage started when her uncle, Bhupinder Thakur, a physical education teacher, spotted her talent and encouraged her to pursue professional training. “My hard work is yielding results, but the credit goes to my mother and Bhupinder uncle, who spotted my talent and supported me,” Renuka said while speaking to the media in Shimla. Renuka has a tattoo of her late father, Kehar Singh Thakur, on her hand, a constant source of motivation. It was his dream to see his children excel in sports. After his passing, when Renuka was just three, her mother, Sunita Thakur, raised her and her brother. “There was a lot of pressure as we had lost three matches back-to-back and the last three matches were crucial, but we were hopeful of winning the World Cup,” Renuka said. When asked about the interaction with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Renuka added that he knew about all the cricketers, including her journey. Renuka shared that Himachal Pradesh was the first state to offer her a job. On November 3, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu called to inform her that a reward of Rs 1 crore had been announced for the pacer. Renuka’s uncle, Bhupinder Singh Thakur, who first recognised her talent and supported her early on, said that her success is the result of 13–14 years of relentless hard work.
