At 22, Kranti Goud got the news of her India debut at the R Premadasa Stadium in May 2025. She was chosen mainly as a backup because senior bowlers Renuka Singh and Pooja Vastrakar were injured.
Her first match wasn’t spectacular — she bowled five overs, gave away 22 runs, and didn’t take any wickets. But one moment stood out when she hit Sri Lankan captain Chamari Athapaththu, known for her strong pull shots, on the ribs with a sharp delivery. It was a small but impressive sign of her potential, even though Smriti Mandhana’s century and Sneh Rana’s four wickets took most of the attention.
Later, in Durham against England, Goud grabbed six wickets with some brilliant swing bowling that destroyed England’s top order. That spell proved she truly belonged in international cricket. The performance secured her a spot in India’s World Cup squad — and even though Renuka has returned from injury and Vastrakar is still recovering, Goud has already made herself a key part of the team after just two games.
A week after starting the 2025 World Cup with figures of 1 for 41 in India’s win over Sri Lanka, Kranti Goud once again made her mark — this time against Pakistan. Bowling a fiery new-ball spell, she ripped through their top order and ended with 3 for 30 in India’s 88-run win in Colombo. Back home in her town, Ghuwara in Madhya Pradesh, her neighbours watched her performance proudly on a big LED screen they had set up just for the occasion.
After receiving the Player of the Match award, Goud said calmly, “The main focus was on line and length. I wasn’t trying anything fancy. Things like bouncers or slower balls depend on the match situation. The coaches just told me to bowl a little shorter based on the pitch, and that worked well.”
Her success wasn’t only because she followed the coaches’ advice — she also showed confidence in her instincts. During her sixth over, when the ball was getting older, captain Harmanpreet Kaur wanted to remove the slip fielder. But Goud asked to keep it. The very next ball, her late swing got Aliya Riyaz edging straight to Deepti Sharma at second slip. A thrilled Goud turned to her captain, who rushed over with a big smile to celebrate.
Laughing about that moment later, Goud said, “The ball was swinging a lot early on — I couldn’t even understand how! When Harman didi wanted to remove the slip, I said, ‘Let’s keep it for this over.’ I had a feeling I’d get a wicket, and I got it first ball!”
She also helped with the bat at the end of India’s innings. Coming in when India were 226 for 8, she and Richa Ghosh added 21 valuable runs to push the total to 247. Goud scored 8 off just 4 balls, including two fours — one a classy cover drive off her first delivery and another flicked past short fine leg.
“Richa told me, if there’s a ball to hit, just go for it,” Goud said. “There were only a few overs left, so we needed quick runs. The first ball was there to hit, so I did. She told me to keep playing that way, and I got another boundary soon after. I just want to keep contributing like this.”
Even though India has always dominated Pakistan in women’s ODIs, this match was still special. With the men’s Asia Cup surrounded by off-field tension, all eyes were on the women’s teams to see how they’d handle the rivalry. There were no handshakes before or after the match, but both sides stayed professional.
For Goud, none of that outside noise mattered. “I wasn’t thinking about India-Pakistan or anything else,” she said. “My job was to bowl — and that’s exactly what I did.”