Kranti Goud, just 22, received the life-changing news of her India debut at the R Premadasa Stadium in May 2025. Initially picked as a backup for the injured Renuka Singh and Pooja Vastrakar, she entered the squad as a young apprentice ready to learn. Her debut performance — 5-0-22-0 — may not have lit up the scoreboard, but it was her sharp bouncer that struck Chamari Athapaththu on the ribs which left a lasting impression. That one delivery quietly signaled her potential to India’s selectors.
From Debut to Dominance
Her next big moment came in Durham during the England tour, where she took a stunning six-wicket haul, swinging the ball both ways and dismantling England’s top order. That spell made it clear — Kranti Goud was not just filling in; she was here to stay. Even with Renuka Singh returning from injury, Goud had already cemented her spot for the World Cup.
And she proved why. A week after taking 1 for 41 in India’s opening win against Sri Lanka, Goud produced a fiery spell against Pakistan, taking 3 for 30 in an 88-run victory in Colombo. Back home in Ghuwara, her family and neighbors watched proudly on a giant LED screen they’d set up to cheer for her.
“𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒐𝒍𝒅 𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒑𝒖𝒍𝒍 𝒎𝒚 𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒕𝒉𝒔 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒂 𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒍𝒆 𝒃𝒂𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒆,” 𝑮𝒐𝒖𝒅 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝑷𝒍𝒂𝒚𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑴𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆. “𝑰 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒄𝒖𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒏 𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒕𝒉 — 𝒗𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒅𝒆𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒖𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏.”
A Bowler Who Thinks Ahead
Goud showed maturity beyond her years when she convinced captain Harmanpreet Kaur to keep a slip fielder during her sixth over — a decision that paid off immediately as she dismissed Aliya Riyaz with a perfect outswinger.
“𝑯𝒂𝒓𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒍𝒊𝒑 𝒐𝒇𝒇, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝑰 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅, ‘𝒏𝒐 𝒅𝒊𝒅𝒊, 𝒍𝒆𝒕’𝒔 𝒌𝒆𝒆𝒑 𝒊𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓.’ 𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑰’𝒅 𝒈𝒆𝒕 𝒂 𝒘𝒊𝒄𝒌𝒆𝒕, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑰 𝒅𝒊𝒅 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒔𝒕 𝒃𝒂𝒍𝒍,” 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒂 𝒈𝒓𝒊𝒏.
Her confidence, combined with her ability to read match situations, has made her a reliable new-ball option.
Contributions With the Bat
Goud’s influence wasn’t limited to the ball. When India was struggling at 226 for 8, she joined Richa Ghosh for a quick-fire 21-run stand that lifted India to 247. Her 8 runs off 4 balls — featuring two boundaries — were vital in boosting India’s total.
“Richa told me if there’s a ball to hit, just go for it,” Goud recalled. “The first ball was hittable, so I hit it for four. Then I kept going.”
Despite India’s dominant 11-0 record over Pakistan in women’s ODIs, Goud treated the game like any other challenge. The off-field buzz and political undertones didn’t distract her focus.
“𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒔𝒏’𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒇 𝑰𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒂-𝑷𝒂𝒌𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏 𝒐𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒆𝒍𝒔𝒆,” 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅. “𝑴𝒚 𝒋𝒐𝒃 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒐𝒘𝒍, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕’𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒅𝒊𝒅.”
Also Read: Rain Threat Looms Over India vs Pakistan Women’s World Cup Clash in Colombo
