India’s 22-year-old bowling sensation Kranti Gaud is taking the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup 2025 by storm. The right arm quick was devastating on Sunday, taking 3/20 off 10 overs with three maidens as India beat Asian rivals Pakistan by 88 runs in Colombo.
Gaud’s cricketing rise comes off the back of tireless work, refining her craft. She detailed part of that journey after the game.
“I’m really happy. Being the Player of the Match today is a very proud moment for me and my family. My India debut was in Sri Lanka, and today I’ve been named Player of the Match here in Sri Lanka again. I’m truly very happy,” said Gaud.
“Right now, we haven’t spoken (with India’s coaches) much about my speed. The main focus has been on my line and length – making sure I’m bowling in the right areas. That’s what we talk about the most. Other than that, there hasn’t been much discussion about increasing my pace. The focus is just on maintaining that consistency – nothing extra. Still, I’d like to bowl faster going forward … (but) I’m comfortable with the pace I’m bowling at,” he added.
India batted first against Pakistan, scoring 247 from their 50 overs, which gave their bowlers plenty to work with. And the attack certainly cashed in, removing their opponents for 159 off 43 overs.
“The batters were finding it a bit difficult to face us. They were struggling against the pace, and the ball was swinging both ways. That’s why we decided to continue with the same bowlers for a longer spell,” Gaud said.
“When I came on for my second spell, Harman (India captain Harmanpreet Kaur) said, ‘it’s an old ball now, let’s remove the slip.’ But I told her, ‘no, let me bowl with the slip for now — I feel like I can get a wicket here.’ And that’s exactly what happened – I got the second wicket. I had that belief in myself,” he added.
Diana Baig Opens Up On Pakistan’s Batting Woes
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Diana Baig – who took 4/69 off 10 overs – pointed to her side’s batting woes as to why they fell short in the World Cup contest with India.
“I think 250 was a good target when we started the chase. But we lost too many wickets early on, which broke our momentum. When Natalia and Sidra were batting, we had settled down a bit, but once they got out, the innings became unstable again,” Baig said.
We’re constantly trying – if we can perform more consistently, both in practice and in matches, I’m sure we’ll start winning more games,” he added.
Pakistan will be in action on Wednesday, with another tough test – they take on Australia in Colombo. On the other hand, India will play South Africa on Thursday, looking to hang onto their unbeaten start, having now moved to two from two to start their home tournament.
