Kranti Gaud reflects on journey from village to India cricket team

India pacer Kranti Gaud reflects on her journey from a small village to the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup success. She speaks about family sacrifices, challenges faced as a fast bowler, and her aim for the T20 World Cup 2026

Hyderabad: Part of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025-winning team, Kranti Gaud, the pacer from a small town in Madhya Pradesh, is eyeing another podium finish at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026.

Speaking on JioStar, the India pacer reflected on her early struggles, the sacrifices made by her family, the impact of her success on young girls in her village, and the challenges of life as a fast bowler.

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“I never dreamt that big about playing cricket. Coming from a small village, from a place where girls are not even allowed to step out freely. If girls go out or try to do anything, they have to face taunts and criticism from people. But I always heard that those who keep working hard never lose,” Kranti said.

“So, I just kept going. I kept bowling, kept learning and kept believing. I did not let the noise around me stop me. I kept working hard, session after session, match after match. And today, I have reached this stage where I am representing India in the T20 World Cup. Wearing this jersey, standing on this big stage, it feels like all those struggles were worth it,” she said.

On the support she received from her family and the sacrifices made by her parents, Kranti said: “If your family supports you, then what others say does not matter. Because those outsiders are not supporting you anyway. At that time, many girls were not even allowed to step out. But my parents were different. Everyone in my family always supported me. They never made me feel that I was doing something wrong. They believed in my dream.”

“That support made all the difference. It gave me the strength to keep going and keep chasing my goal. When you know your family is with you, the world outside becomes easier to ignore. I am grateful to them for standing by me through every step of this journey because there were a lot of problems. I had to go and play matches, but there was always a shortage of money. My mother sold her jewellery to buy me a proper cricket kit. That was a huge sacrifice. My family was doing so much for me, and that made me feel responsible. I wanted to give something back to them. I wanted to make their sacrifice count,” Kranti explained.

On the positive impact of her performances in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup and the title win, the India fast bowler said: “Because of my performances for India in the ODI World Cup, a cricket academy has opened up in Ghuwara village, where I hail from. Many young girls are now coming there to play cricket. That is a proud moment for me. Their parents are now trusting their daughters and believing that they can build a career in this sport. I meet these girls regularly. Earlier, they were not allowed to step out of their homes freely. But now, because of the academy and my journey, they practice regularly. The World Cup win has played a huge role in this change. I just want these kids to achieve whatever goals they have set for themselves.”

On the challenges fast bowlers face, Kranti said: “Being a fast bowler is not easy. Fast bowlers get injured very often. So, I have to take care of myself, play all the matches, and also help India win. In my mind, I always think that I must give my 100 percent.”

“Whatever ball I bowl, I try to give my best. We keep working on the new deliveries we are learning, but we focus more on our strengths, the deliveries that get us wickets. During the match, we keep talking to each other. We are fast bowlers and death bowlers, so we keep communicating. If one bowler is going for runs from one end, we tell her not to worry too much and try and keep communicating with her,” Kranti said.