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World Cup hero didn't even know there was an India women's team, family was taunted daily
From a small village in Madhya Pradesh, Kranti Goud's cricket journey led her to India's historic Women's World Cup win.
When the boys in her village cricket team fell short of a player, they turned to her but only as a fielder. Slowly, she earned their trust, becoming a regular member who was allowed to bat and ball. That day, without realising it, Kranti Goud bowled the first delivery of a journey that would end with her lifting the Women’s World Cup trophy for India.
The 22-year-old pacer from Ghuwara village in Madhya Pradesh, who played a key role in India’s historic maiden Women’s World Cup triumph, says she didn’t even know that an Indian women’s cricket team existed when she first picked up the ball.
“There was a ground in front of my house, so boys used to play there. When the ball came near my house, I would throw it back. One day, they were short of a player and included me in the team,” Goud recalled. “At first, I was only a fielder. Slowly, I began to bowl — I didn’t even know there was such a thing as a spin bowler, so I started bowling pace by just watching them.”
That impromptu game in her dusty village field set off a chain of events that changed her life. Her natural speed caught the attention of coach Rajiv Bilthre, who was then secretary of the Chhatarpur District Cricket Association. Impressed by her raw talent, he took her under his wing and introduced her to structured coaching.
“He asked me if I wanted to play international cricket. I didn’t even know there was an international women’s team,” Goud said, laughing. “Within six months I played the senior division, and within a year, I debuted for the state’s under-19 team in Vadodara.”
Her rise since then has been nothing short of remarkable. Making her India debut in May this year, Goud has already appeared in 15 ODIs and one T20I. During the World Cup, she picked up nine wickets at an average of 18.55, including a match-winning three-wicket haul against Pakistan.
India’s World Cup win — a 52-run victory over South Africa in the final — has transformed Goud’s life and silenced her critics back home.
“I am from a small village, and earlier people would taunt my family, saying, ‘Why are you allowing her to play with boys?’ But I always thought that one day, I’ll make them clap for me,” she said. “Now the same people who once stopped me from playing are congratulating my parents. My whole village celebrated when we won the World Cup.”
Goud, who met President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with her teammates this week, said she felt proud to represent her country at the highest level.
“I am feeling really proud as this was my first World Cup and we are world champions now. It is a matter of pride for me, my family, and the entire nation,” she said.
For someone who started as a fielder by chance, Kranti Goud has bowled her way into Indian cricket history — and into the hearts of a village that once doubted her dreams.
