India pacer Kranti Goud, who hails from the small village of Ghuwara in Madhya Pradesh, has opened up about the hardships she overcame to represent India at the ICC Women's T20 World Cup — crediting her family's unwavering support, including her mother selling her jewellery to buy a cricket kit, as the fuel behind her rise.

From a Village Where Girls Faced Taunts to the World Stage

Speaking on JioStar, the 22-year-old fast bowler recalled that ambitions like hers were not easily tolerated in her community. 'I never dreamt that big about playing cricket. Coming from a small village, from a place where girls are not even allowed to step out freely. If girls go out or try to do anything, they have to face taunts and criticism from people,' she said.

Despite the social pressure, Goud said she chose to block out the noise. 'I just kept going. I kept bowling, kept learning and kept believing. I didn't let the noise around me stop me. I kept working hard, session after session, match after match. And today, I have reached this stage where I am representing India in the T20 World Cup. Wearing this jersey, standing on this big stage, it feels like all those struggles were worth it,' she added.

A Mother's Sacrifice That Defined Her Journey

Goud was candid about the financial difficulties her family endured to support her cricket ambitions. 'There were a lot of problems. I had to go and play matches, but there was always a shortage of money. My mother sold her jewellery to buy me a proper cricket kit. That was a huge sacrifice,' she said.

She described how that sacrifice transformed into a sense of deep responsibility. 'My family was doing so much for me, and that made me feel responsible. I wanted to give something back to them. I wanted to make their sacrifice count,' Goud said. She also noted that her parents stood apart from the prevailing social norms: 'If your family supports you, then what others say doesn't matter. My parents were different. Everyone in my family always supported me. They never made me feel that I was doing something wrong. They believed in my dream.'

Cricket Debut and a Stunning Spell in England

Goud made her ODI debut in a tri-series featuring South Africa in Sri Lanka and her T20I debut on India's tour of England, where she returned impressive figures of 6 for 52 — an immediate statement of her potential at the international level. The performances drew attention to a bowler who had spent years honing her craft far from the spotlight.

A Cricket Academy Now Stands in Her Village

Perhaps the most tangible measure of Goud's impact is what has changed back home in Ghuwara. 'Because of my performances for India in the ODI World Cup, a cricket academy has opened up in Ghuwara village, where I hail from. Many young girls are now coming there to play cricket. That is a proud moment for me,' she said.

She added that the shift in parental attitudes has been equally significant. 'Their parents are now trusting their daughters and believing that they can build a career in this sport. Earlier, they were not allowed to step out of their homes freely. But now, because of the academy and my journey, they practise regularly. The World Cup win has played a huge role in this change,' Goud said. She expressed hope that the girls training at the academy would go on to achieve their own goals.

Goud's story — from a resource-constrained village where girls were discouraged from stepping out, to representing India on the world's biggest cricket stage — stands as one of the more compelling human narratives to emerge from Indian women's cricket's recent rise.