Kranti Gaud Wants to Win the T20 World Cup to Repay Family's Sacrifices

Since making her debut to the Indian team in May 2025, pacer Kranti Gaud has quickly become a regular member of the side in both red and white ball formats. However, her journey to reaching the Women's National Team and representing India at the highest level has been anything but easy for her. 

The pacer comes from a small hamlet in Madhya Pradesh, says she remains deeply grateful to her parents for their unwavering support and sacrifices they have made to support her cricketing dreams and helping her to continue to chase her cricket goals. 

As India looks to book their place in the last four of the on-going T20 World Cup, Gaud remains hopeful to repay her parent’s faith in her by putting some strong performances on the field for her team. 

Gaud recalled the tremendous financial struggles her family has endured during her childhood. She even revealed that her mother sold all her jewellery to buy her a proper cricket kit. Speaking to JioStar, Gaud said, “If your family supports you, then what others say doesn't matter because those outsiders are not supporting you anyways. I am grateful to my family for standing by me through every step because there were a lot of problems. There was always a shortage of money.”

The young 22-year-old said those sacrifices that her parents made continue to motivate her every time she takes the field representing India. 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.

Gaud also credited her parents for creating a safe and conducive environment for her to continue pursuing her cricket aspirations at a time when girls in her village did not have any freedom. She said, “At that time, many girls were not even allowed to step out of the house. But my parents were different. They never made me feel that I was doing something wrong. They believed in my dreams.”

“It gave me strength to keep going and keep chasing my goals. When you know your family is with you, the world outside becomes easy to ignore.” She added. Her success has had a big impact on her career. Her performances for India have inspired a new generation of girls in her village to step outside home and it has also led to the establishment of a cricket academy. 

“Becuase of my performances for India in the ODI World Cup in 2025, a cricket academy has opened up in my hometown, Ghuwara village. Many young girls are not coming there to play cricket. That is a proud moment for me. Their parents are now trusting their daughters and believe that they can build a career in this sport. I meet these girls regularly. The World Cup win has played a huge role in this change,” she noted. 

Gaud, who is now part of the Indian squad at the T20 World Cup in England is focused on their crucial match against the Asian neighbours, Bangladesh, which is a sort of must-win game for India that will determine their chances of making it to the top four. The pacer said, her approach always remains simple - focus on her strengths and give her best with every delivery.