It’s not a small deal to be a player of the match in WC game: Kranti Goud

Young fast bowler Kranti Goud described her getting Player of the Match award post India’s huge 88-run win over Pakistan in the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup clash at the R Premadasa Stadium as a ‘very proud moment’. Kranti returned figures of 3-20 in her ten overs, including six bowled on the trot, to play a pivotal role in dismantling Pakistan’s top order and ensuring India’s unbeaten run in the tournament continues. “When I took six wickets in England and Harman di shared Player of the Match award with me, to now getting Player of the Match award in a World Cup, that was also a very proud moment for me. This too is also a very proud moment for me, as it’s not a small deal to be the player of the match in a World Cup game. “I have been playing all my matches normally because all the things coaches have said to me, I am doing all of that in the games where I am featuring. I will carry this momentum forward,” said Kranti in a video posted on bcci.tv. on Monday. It’s been a rapid rise for Kranti, who was handed an ODI at the R Premadasa Stadium in May 2025 as a replacement for injured Kashvee Gautam. Though she had figures of 0-22 in five overs, injuries to Renuka Singh Thakur and Pooja Vastrakar meant Kranti was retained for tour of England, where she picked a six-wicket haul, as India got the ODI series win. Kranti also spoke about the jubilant scenes in her village Ghuwara in Chhatarpur, Madhya Pradesh, where the residents had put an LED screen on the ground to watch her play in the World Cup. “I am feeling very proud. I just made a video call at home. My family was very emotional. Everyone in my village was watching the match. They have put a big LED screen on the ground where we play cricket, so everyone was watching the match. It’s a very proud moment for me. “Where everyone was watching the match, they all were making a lot of noise. So didn’t talk much and I just showed them the player of the match medal. Everyone was happy and shouting, so couldn’t talk much with them,” she said. India, currently at the top of the World Cup points table, will next face South Africa at the ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam on October 9, followed by a high-stakes clash against defending champions Australia at the same venue on October 12. –IANS nr/bc