Indian bowler Renuka Singh Thakur recently enjoyed a special moment when she met global football superstar Lionel Messi during his GOAT India Tour 2025. The interaction took place at an Adidas-curated event at the iconic Purana Qila in Delhi, where Messi spent time with some of India’s best athletes across various sports.
Renuka, a key figure in India’s women’s pace unit and part of the ODI World Cup winning team, was among the select female champions invited to interact with the Argentine great. Renuka received a signed Argentina jersey and a cricket ball signed by the legendary footballer.
The event was a celebration of sporting excellence, bringing together Olympic medallists, world champions and leading cricketers under one roof. Renuka later shared pictures of the meeting on social media and expressed her admiration for the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner. She also wrote a heartfelt message after meeting Messi, reflecting her joy and excitement at meeting one of sports’ greatest icons.
Renuka wrote, “Two pairs of hands that know the feeling of lifting the World Cup. Thank you Adidas India for bringing this dream to life.”
Lionel Messi’s GOAT India Tour attracted fans in Kolkata, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Delhi. Kolkata witnessed chaos and protests over his brief appearance, while Hyderabad and Mumbai offered memorable interactions with children, football stars and fans. In Delhi, Messi ended the tour with a 30-minute performance, playing with children, paying tribute to the Minerva Academy team and receiving the T20 World Cup jersey, leaving the fans ecstatic.
In the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup 2025, India’s Renuka Singh Thakur played six matches, taking three wickets with a best figure of 2/25 and maintaining an impressive economy of 4.02 runs per over. Her disciplined bowling proved crucial at crucial moments and helped India secure a historic World Cup win on home soil.
Renuka is now set to feature in the five-match T20I series against Sri Lanka starting on Sunday, December 21 at the ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam and will be pivotal for India in the upcoming Women’s T20 World Cup in England.
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Issued by:
sabyasachi chowdhury
Published on:
December 20, 2025
