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That’s all Kranti Goud had played in her international career before the first ODI against England women on July 16 (Wednesday). Further, her WODI career didn’t go as expected, as she had bowled five overs without a wicket.
But if you watched her bowl for the first time today, you’d probably have thought she’s been playing international cricket for a long time. She ticks the two boxes that are required for international success.
Ability to clock 105kmph and more? Tick.
Ability to move the ball inward? Tick.
The 21-year-old moved the ball like a veteran and set up Amy Jones in the most incredible fashion. She started by moving the ball away from the right-hander’s reach, like a nervous bowler would.
Just when Jones thought it would continue to move away, the Madhya Pradesh pacer swung one back in the right-hander at an extreme pace (nearly clocking 110kmph), taking Jones by surprise.
While it might be surprising for someone new to women’s cricket, it should not be one bit surprising considering that Goud has been doing this her whole professional life, bowling fast.
"As I started playing with the tennis ball, I saw that everyone just ran in and bowled medium pace. I did not even know spin bowlers existed. Where are spinners in tennis-ball cricket anyway? My brother also told me to bowl medium pace, so I did that,” Goud told ESPNCricinfo.
Also Read: Meet Kranti Goud, UP Warriorz’ New Pace Bowling All-Rounder
It is that bit of skill that fast-tracked her into the Indian setup, despite having almost little Women’s Premier League (WPL) experience, having played only eight games in her career. But this selection wasn’t about numbers; it was about identifying the skillset, and the Indian management certainly found that her ability to skid the batters was quite handy.
Ask English opener, Tammy Beaumont, for example, and she would tell you that every bit of that last sentence is just plain truth. Goud’s pace beat Beaumont, who was not just late but too late on that ball, as it crashed against the stumps. It is that bit of skill that made her pick 15 wickets, averaging 14.40 in the 2025 Senior Women’s One Day Trophy.
If you asked the selectors before the series, what would they have wanted?
The answer would have been to find an x-factor in the pace-bowling department.
Kranti Goud and her ability to hit 110kmph certainly fit the bill.