The Commonwealth Games 2022 will probably be remembered fondly by many cricket fans as it was when women’s cricket was included in the roster. For India, it was also an edition to remember. The Indian women’s team, which played the opening game of the event, began impressively but lost, as captain Harmanpreet Kaur and Shafali Verma shone with the bat. However, it was Indian pacer Renuka Singh, who stole all the attention in bowling, helping India to keep the opponents, Australia, at bay.

Renuka Singh, 26, had not spent much time with the Indian women’s cricket team when she was selected for the Commonwealth Games. In her side’s campaign opener against Australia, she displayed an impressive performance when she claimed four wickets, including that of captain Meg Lanning. She also dismissed Alyssa Healy, Beth Mooney and Tahila McGrath. However, little is known about her even by the most focused cricket fans. So, let’s take a look at who she is.

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Born on February 1, 1996, Singh became interested in cricket from an early age. She was born in a remote village named Parsa near Rohru town in Himachal Pradesh. Her father, who was also a cricket enthusiast, was a fan of former Indian cricketer Vinod Kambli and named her brother Vinod.

Renuka lost her father in 1999 when she was only three years old. While she played cricket in her village when she was younger, she sought professional coaching when she grew up a bit. In 2009, she enrolled herself at the residential academy of Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association in Dharmshala, from where her journey began.

She went on to play for the state U-16 and U-19 teams before Renuka was selected for a series against Australia in 2021. Following that game, she also played for India A against Australia, Bangladesh, Thailand and India B.

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In January 2022, Renuka was called up for the Indian women’s cricket team squad for the 2022 Women’s Cricket World Cup in New Zealand. She made her Women’s One Day International debut in February 2022, against New Zealand.

Later that year, In July, she was called up to the Indian squad for the women’s cricket event at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England.