Mindset Is The Same As Before – Become World Cup Champion Again, Says Kranti Gaud

Mindset is the same as before – become World Cup champion again, says Kranti Gaud (Image Source: IANS)

T20 World Cup: India pacer Kranti Gaud has asserted that the national team will head into the upcoming ICC Women’s T20 World Cup with a singular, familiar objective: of becoming champions once again. India are yet to win a Women’s T20 World Cup but go into the mega event, to be played from June 12 to July 5 in England, as current ODI World Cup champions.

India, led by Harmanpreet Kaur, had failed to make it to the knockouts of the last edition in 2024 in the UAE, and their best finish in their history of being in the competition came as runners-up in the 2020 edition in Australia.

"The mindset is the same as before - become the World Cup champion again and that's how we will approach it in the upcoming T20 World Cup," Kranti said exclusively to IANS on the sidelines of the 'Fancatchstic Chapter 2' event on Sunday.

The pacer highlighted the Women’s Premier League (WPL) as a vital bridge for domestic talent to come into the Indian team, citing the rapid rise of fellow pacer Nandni Sharma as a prime example.

"Yes, because it is a good platform for the players. For example, Nandni Sharma came to WPL and now she is with us in T20 World Cup. So, WPL is a very good opportunity and I would like to have more players participate in it," she added.

Reflecting on her own individual goals for the World Cup in England, a place where she made her T20I debut and picked a historic 6-52 in an ODI in Durham, Kranti said she remains focused on working on her strengths which have fetched her success so far.

"There is nothing like that. We are just running what is going on. We are doing to make our best even better. Yes, England has been very good for me. I took six wickets in an ODI game (in Durham). I came to know later that it was a world record at such a young age," she said.

Regarding the current fast bowling synergy within the squad, featuring Renuka Singh Thakur and Arundhati Reddy, Kranti said, "The atmosphere is good. If I am bowling from one side, then the other bowlers should bowl from the other side. We are doing very well in partnerships and have the same targets."

Beyond the tactical aspects of the game, Gaud believes a T20 World Cup win carries a larger social responsibility for furthering the growth of women’s cricket, something which has been on an upswing since WPL and ODI World Cup triumph.

"We have won the World Cup before and there have been so many changes. We want to win the upcoming World Cup and bring more changes in Indian women's cricket. We want to instill trust in the coming generation and their parents. That is why this T20 World Cup is very important," she said.

The pacer also shared her personal evolution from a village girl in Ghuwara, located in Bundelkhand, Madhya Pradesh – from being unaware about professional women’s cricket to being a world champion. "That journey (is special), because I didn't know that much at that time. I was very young. So, I didn't know girls' cricket existed as well - like play with leather ball, and in academies, girls and boys get to practice.

“I didn't have any such idea. It was a small tournament in our village and that small tournament, my life changed so much that I became a World Cup winner and champion," she recalled.

She also expressed pride in how the team’s success has empowered girls across the country to speak openly about their sporting ambitions. "Nowadays, girls are able to tell their parents that they want to become a cricketer. It's not just about cricket - it's also about all sports.

“So, girls are able to openly tell their parents and they are able to openly support them because they have seen that girls can do everything. Now we have become champions. So, they have seen that championship win and have believed that our children can do something as well."

Kranti concluded by detailing her efforts to revive cricket in her hometown, where her talent and raw speed while playing was noticed and honed by coach Rajiv Bilthre. "The tournament that I played in Ghuwara was closed for 5-6 years. When I went there, I started it on 16th November. Then I made girls and boys play cricket as well. When I made a team for my village, I took the trials and 80 girls came for it.

“So, girls are able to openly tell their parents and they are able to openly support them because they have seen that girls can do everything. Now we have become champions. So, they have seen that championship win and have believed that our children can do something as well."

"So, when those 80 girls came to give trials, it was a proud thing for me and my family because if you see a player being supported by the family, then it becomes very easy for because whole family is standing behind her to support her dream. So, I just want the family to always support her and that the children should fulfill their goals."

Article Source: IANS