New Delhi
India’s young fast bowler Kranti Goud says her Women’s World Cup win has changed how her small Madhya Pradesh village looks at her. The 22 year old took nine wickets at an average of 18.55 in the tournament, including a match winning three wicket spell against Pakistan. She said she had once not even known that a women’s cricket team existed, and first learned the game by returning balls to boys playing near her house. Later, when she filled in as an extra player, she bowled pace by copying their actions. Her career took off after local official Rajiv Bilthre saw her speed and invited her to his academy. Within six months she was in senior division, and within a year she had state under nineteen selection. She says villagers who once mocked her are now proud of her, and that is her biggest joy.
