India Women have been dominant so far in the ongoing five-match home T20I series against Sri Lanka. After two convincing wins, the focus now shifts to Kerala. The first two matches have thrown up several positives for the Women in Blue, and one of the standout performers has been Kranti Gaud.
Before this series, Kranti had played just one T20I, and it did not go well for her. Against England, she conceded 26 runs at an economy of 8.66 and went wicketless. However, in the ongoing series, she has shown clear signs of growth. In the two matches so far, she has displayed consistency, maturity, and a willingness to take responsibility when the team needed it. It appears that she is slowly settling into the T20I format, much like she did in the 50-over game.
In ODIs, Kranti has already made a strong impact. In 15 matches, she has picked up 23 wickets at an economy rate of 5.78. During India’s Women’s ODI World Cup triumph, she played a crucial role, claiming nine wickets in eight innings at an economy rate of 5.73. At just 22, she is already a World Cup winner. Now, she is showing similar maturity and growth in the shortest format as well.
In the first two T20Is of the series, India did not include experienced pacer Renuka Singh Thakur, who is usually trusted with the new ball in the powerplay. As a result, Kranti was handed that responsibility. She grabbed the opportunity with both hands. In T20 cricket, teams always look for early wickets in the first six overs, and Kranti has delivered in that role for Harmanpreet Kaur.
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In the series opener, she bowled three overs inside the powerplay, conceding 23 runs and picking up the key wicket of Sri Lanka skipper Chamari Athapaththu. The dismissal stood out because of the setup. Athapaththu started aggressively, hitting three boundaries off her. Kranti assessed the situation quickly, understood the areas that suited the batter, and decided to switch to bowling around the wicket. The move proved decisive. She bowled an inswinger that sneaked between bat and pad and crashed onto the stumps. Kranti celebrated with visible emotion.
In the second T20I, she continued with the same plan against Athapaththu from the first ball. While the Sri Lanka captain survived this time, Kranti still delivered what the team expected. She provided an early breakthrough by dismissing Vishmi Gunaratne in her first over. It was a sharp reflex catch off her own bowling.
This ability to make early breakthroughs in the powerplay overs is something she has developed since the Australia series in July. Before the ODI World Cup, in that three-match home ODI series, she dismissed the Aussie skipper Alyssa Healy every time within the powerplay overs with the new ball. Against her in-swinging deliveries, Healy looked unsettled each time.
She then carried that ability into the ODI World Cup. Notably, in eight matches, she picked up wickets in five games, and on each occasion, she provided early breakthroughs in the powerplay — against Sri Lanka (Hasini Perera), Pakistan (Sadaf Shamas), South Africa (Tazmin Brits), New Zealand (Suzie Bates), and Australia (Alyssa Healy). Brits was in red-hot form, but Kranti dismissed her for a duck with another sharp reflex catch off her own bowling. In the semi-final against Australia, it was again Kranti who dismissed Healy and provided India an early breakthrough while defending 338.
She has now carried that momentum into the ongoing T20I series. Kranti has shown she is ready to take responsibility whenever the team needs her. That mindset will only help her grow in consistency and experience ahead of the 2026 T20 World Cup. India have only nine T20Is left as part of their preparation. With Renuka’s recent fitness concerns, her workload will need careful management. That could open the door for Kranti to take on a bigger role and emerge as a leader of the pace unit at the mega event in England.
Whether she can continue remains to be seen. The upcoming Australia tour will pose a real challenge. If Kranti continues to shine and deliver with the new ball, there will be no doubt that India have found a long-term option who can dismantle oppositions with early breakthroughs, whether defending or chasing, and provide the much-needed momentum.
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