New Delhi, June 23 (IANS) India pacer Kranti Gaud opened up on her early struggles and sacrifices made by her family, revealing that her mother sold her jewellery to buy a proper cricket kit for her, and she wanted to make their sacrifice count.

Kranti, who hails from Madhya Pradesh, made her ODI debut in the tri-series featuring South Africa in Sri Lanka and her T20I debut on the tour of England, where she also returned stunning figures of 6-52.

Speaking about her early struggles, Kranti said on JioStar, “I never dreamt that big about playing cricket. Coming from a small village, from a place where girls are not even allowed to step out freely. If girls go out or try to do anything, they have to face taunts and criticism from people. But I always heard that those who keep working hard never lose.

“So, I just kept going. I kept bowling, kept learning and kept believing. I didn’t let the noise around me stop me. I kept working hard, session after session, match after match. And today, I have reached this stage where I am representing India in the T20 World Cup. Wearing this jersey, standing on this big stage, it feels like all those struggles were worth it.”

Reflecting on the support she received from her family and the sacrifices made by her parents, Kranti added, “If your family supports you, then what others say doesn’t matter. Because those outsiders are not supporting you anyway. At that time, many girls were not even allowed to step out. But my parents were different. Everyone in my family always supported me. They never made me feel that I was doing something wrong. They believed in my dream. That support made all the difference.”

She continued, “It gave me the strength to keep going and keep chasing my goal. When you know your family is with you, the world outside becomes easier to ignore. I am grateful to them for standing by me through every step of this journey because there were a lot of problems. I had to go and play matches, but there was always a shortage of money. My mother sold her jewellery to buy me a proper cricket kit. That was a huge sacrifice. 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.”

The 22-year-old fast bowler also shared that India’s performances in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup and the title win led to the establishment of her native village Ghuwara.

“Because of my performances for India in the ODI World Cup, a cricket academy has opened up in Ghuwara village, where I hail from. Many young girls are now coming there to play cricket. That is a proud moment for me. Their parents are now trusting their daughters and believing that they can build a career in this sport. I meet these girls regularly.

“Earlier, they were not allowed to step out of their homes freely. But now, because of the academy and my journey, they practise regularly. The World Cup win has played a huge role in this change. I just want these kids to achieve whatever goals they have set for themselves,” she said.

–IANS

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