Less than five months after making her debut on the international circuit, Kranti Goud has quickly established herself as India’s new ball weapon of choice and the young player now wishes to increase the pace of her deliveries.
The seamer demonstrated her increasing value to the team in Sunday’s high-stakes Women’s World Cup match against Pakistan by providing outstanding figures of 3/20 in 10 overs, including three maidens, to thwart Pakistan’s chase of 247.
At the same location where she made her national debut in May this year, Goud’s performance secured a resounding 88-run victory and earned her first Player-of-the-Match title.
“My India debut was also in Sri Lanka, and today I’m the Player of the Match here. It’s a proud moment for me and my family. I’m very happy,” she said after the match.
When asked about her discussions with Aavishkar Salvi, the bowling coach for India, Goud responded, “Right now, the bowling coach hasn’t told me anything about my speed. Our focus is on maintaining a consistent line and length, not trying to do too much. I’m comfortable with my pace at the moment, but I want to bowl faster.”
After getting rid of opener Sadaf Shamas, she trusted her gut feeling and got rid of Aliya Riaz, leaving Pakistan reeling at 3/26.
“The ball was swinging a lot. I had this feeling inside me that there will be a wicket in this over. Hary di (Harmanpreet Kaur) asked to remove the second slip as the pace was reducing but I told di that ‘please keep a second slip’.”
Riaz sent the ball directly to Goud after she insisted on having a second slip.
“The catch came to the second slip so I had a lot of trust in myself.”
It’s been a wonderful beginning for Goud. With calm perseverance, she has risen up the ranks from her hometown of Ghuwara, which is in the Bundelkhand region of Madhya Pradesh.
She was a net bowler in the Women’s Premier League for the Mumbai Indians just a year ago. At the auction, the UP Warriorz then purchased her for a basic price of Rs 10 lakh.
Goud took full use of the chance when Renuka Thakur and Pooja Vastrakar’s injuries made room for her in the national setup.
Her spot in the squad was guaranteed by an incredible run in the away series against England, which included a six-wicket haul in the series-deciding third ODI earlier this year. Since then, she has only gotten better.
