WC Winner Kranti Goud Reminisces Arduous Journey: 'Those Who Taunted Me, Family Are Now Applauding'

The boys were one player short. With no option left, they decided to include her in the team.

That was the first step into cricket for Indian pacer Kranti Goud who until then had only watched the game from the fringes. Occasionally, she had thrown the ball back into the field whenever it rolled near her modest home's doorstep in Ghuwara village of Madhya Pradesh.

"I didn't even know there was a women's cricket team -- that's where my journey began," Goud said just before meeting President Droupadi Murmu here on Thursday along with the rest of her team following its historic World Cup victory.

The 22-year-old, who contributed nine wickets at an average of 18.55 to India's maiden title-clinching run, including a player of the match-winning three-wicket haul against Pakistan, spoke to PTI Videos about her nascent but remarkable career so far.

The felicitation at the Rashtrapati Bhawan followed an evening meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday, marking an unprecedented high for the youngster, who made her debut for India only in May this year.

Her story began far from the stadium lights and cameras. She recalled watching mostly from afar, a bunch of boys playing the game near her house.

This distant familiarity culminated into an opportunity as she ended up in the playing XI on a day when the boys were a player short.

"There was a ground in front of my house, so boys used to play there and when the ball would come near my house, I used to throw it to them. When I started playing with them, they used to play me only as a fielder but slowly, I also learned playing.

"I didn't even know that there was something called a spin bowler so I just started bowling pace looking at them," she laughed.

It set off a chain of events during the course of which her formative coach Rajiv Bilthre, who was also the secretary of the Chhatarpur District Cricket Association, spotted her and found her speed to be impressive "He asked me whether I aspired to play international cricket as well. I was not aware that there is an international team of girls and then he took me to his academy.

"Within six months I played the senior division and within a year I debuted for state's domestic under-19 team in Vadodara," she said.

Proud World Champion

The youngster is obviously elated and proud at how things have panned out for her so far. She has appeared in 15 ODIs and a T20I since her debut.

"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.

Coming from a conservative rural background, Goud faced social resistance in her early days but she is glad that the same people in her village have shown the grace to applaud her success.

"I am from a small village, so they didn't allow girls to play and used to say that why are you allowing her to play with the boys? But I thought that one day, I will make them all clap for my performance.

"And now those who used to taunt me and my family are applauding us. Now the women's team is also improving and after the World Cup win it will go very far," she said.

On to cricketing matters and Goud said her approach to bowling is built on simplicity.

"I just try to implement what Sir (head coach Amol Muzumdar) asks me while bowling and not trying anything extra. Whatever my coach has told me, I just do that and not anything extra.

"There are different coaches in WPL, domestic and then international, but they say almost the same thing -- to bowl at the stump line," she said.

The young fast bowler also shared a special memory from her meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"I told him that my brother admires him a lot. The Prime Minister smiled and said, 'I'll make sure to meet your brother soon,'" Goud signed off.