From tennis-ball cricket to Chester-le-Street: Kranti Goud on the fast lane

Dubai: A few years ago, Kranti Goud was just another spirited youngster watching boys play tennis-ball cricket in her village in Madhya Pradesh. On Tuesday at Chester-le-Street, she became the youngest Indian to take a five-wicket haul in women’s ODIs, finishing with dream figures of 6 for 52 against England — a performance that not only shook up the series but also marked the arrival of India’s latest pace sensation on the international stage.

At 21 years and 345 days, Goud surpassed Jhulan Goswami’s record to become India’s youngest female bowler to achieve the milestone. Her lethal spell, which began with a stunning inswinger to castle Tammy Beaumont in the first over, capped off a whirlwind few months for the seamer, who wasn’t even in contention for national selection earlier this year.

Born in the village of Ghaura in the Chhatarpur district to a Madhya Pradesh police constable, Goud’s cricketing instincts were shaped by the noisy, fast-paced world of tennis-ball cricket. “I didn’t even know spin existed,” she told Sportstar during her debut WPL season with the UP Warriorz. “In tennis-ball games, the bhaiyas would only bowl fast. That’s where I got the urge to bowl pace.”

Fast forward to 2025, and her pace is what’s turning heads. Goud’s journey to the national team has been anything but conventional. She was a last-minute replacement in the tri-series final against Sri Lanka in May — her debut — and initially wasn’t included in India’s England tour squad until a late burst of form at a specialist camp in Bengaluru forced selectors to rethink.

Injuries to frontline seamers Renuka Singh and Titas Sadhu gave her an unexpected opening. Her control with the new ball, variations in pace, and gritty attitude made a lasting impression during her brief T20I debut before the ODIs.

In the third ODI at Chester-le-Street, Goud mixed pace with guile. Her slower balls and yorkers kept England’s middle and lower order in check. A sharp delivery to dismiss Lauren Filer first ball showed her awareness and calm under pressure. And while she didn’t win the Player-of-the-Match award, skipper Harmanpreet Kaur made sure the performance didn’t go unnoticed.

“I want to share my Player-of-the-Match award with Kranti because she bowled one of the best spells of her career,” Kaur said in a video shared by the BCCI. “It’s a great achievement for a bowler. We’ve been dying for a fast bowler like you. Well done, Kranti — you deserve it.”

Goud now joins elite company — the only other Indian women to take six wickets in an ODI are Mamatha Maben and Jhulan Goswami. She’s also just the third Indian overall to achieve the feat against England, after Goswami (2005) and Jasprit Bumrah (2022).

At 21 years and 345 days, Goud is also the youngest pace bowler — male or female — to take six or more wickets in a women’s ODI innings. The previous youngest was England’s Jo Chamberlain, who was 22 years and 85 days when she took 7 for 8 against Denmark in 1991.

With two major ICC events coming up — the Women’s World Cup in India and Sri Lanka this September, and the T20 World Cup in England next year — Goud’s timing couldn’t be better. Like her statemate Pooja Vastrakar, she brings raw pace, heart, and a street-fighter’s edge.

From street cricket in Ghaura to a game-changing spell in County Durham, Kranti Goud is not just on the fast lane — she’s steering India’s pace future with both hands on the wheel.