Pacer Kranti Gaud has not forgotten her beginnings or the sacrifices her parents made to support her profession, even though she is now a regular member of the Indian women’s cricket team. She wants to honor their faith by performing well at the current T20 World Cup in Manchester.
Gaud, who is from a small Madhya Pradesh hamlet, recalled how her mother bought a cricket kit for her by selling jewelry.
“If your family supports you, then what others say doesn’t matter because those outsiders are not supporting you anyway. I am grateful to my family for standing by me through every step because there were a lot of problems. There was always a shortage of money,” PTI quoted Gaud telling JioStar.
Gaud now wants to do well for India in order to make her family proud.
“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.”
Gaud stated that she will always be grateful to her family for allowing her to follow her dream career.
“At that time, many girls were not even allowed to step out. But my parents were different. They never made me feel that I was doing something wrong. They believed in my dream. 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,” she added.
Gaud’s involvement in Indian cricket has led to reforms in her hometown, where parents now permit girls to pursue careers in sports and a cricket academy was established.
“Because of my performances for India in the ODI World Cup (in 2025), 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. The World Cup win has played a huge role in this change,” she noted.
Gaud is now prepared to shock Bangladesh in a pivotal World Cup game at Manchester. In order to advance to the semifinals, India must win this game.
“I always think that I must give my 100 per cent. Whatever ball I bowl, I try to give my best. We keep working on new deliveries, but we focus more on our strengths, the deliveries that get us wickets,” she said.
