Harmanpreet Honours Kranti Gaud’s Match-Winning Spell with Special Gesture. India Women’s captain Harmanpreet Kaur shared her Player of the Match award with fast bowler Kranti Gaud, recognising her crucial contribution in the series-deciding 3rd ODI against England at the Riverside Ground in Chester-le-Street. Gaud delivered a stunning spell, taking six wickets in her 9.5 overs, including a maiden, and conceding just 52 runs.
To honour the young pacer’s efforts, Harmanpreet Kaur gifted her a signed ball with a heartfelt note that read, “Dear Kranti, you are a star.” The ball also featured Gaud’s match figures as a tribute to her standout performance.
Harmanpreet’s Heroics and Kranti’s Six-Wicket Haul Seal ODI Series Win for India
Captain Harmanpreet Kaur’s blistering 84-ball 102 set the stage for India’s thrilling 13-run win over England in the third and final ODI at Chester-le-Street, helping the visitors clinch the series 2-1. It was Kaur’s first century since June 2024 and the second-fastest by an Indian woman in ODIs, powering India to a strong total of 318/5.
England mounted a strong chase, led by Nat Sciver-Brunt’s 98 and her 162-run third-wicket partnership with Emma Lamb (68). However, they fell short, bowled out for 305 with one ball to spare. The star of India’s bowling attack was Kranti Gaud, who claimed a sensational 6 for 52 — her maiden five-wicket haul in WODIs. With this, she became the fifth Indian and the youngest to take a six-wicket haul in women’s ODIs, and only the second Indian to do so against England after Jhulan Goswami in 2005.
In a touching gesture, Harmanpreet Kaur shared her Player of the Match award with Kranti. “I want to share it with Kranti because Harmanpreet Kaur bowled one of the best spells of her career. It’s a great achievement. We’ve been waiting for fast bowlers like her. She’s brought her experience from the WPL and domestic cricket and is delivering now. I’m really happy for her,” said Harmanpreet Kaur in a video posted by the BCCI on X.
India’s women capped off a memorable tour of England, having earlier won the T20I series 3-2. They began the ODI leg with a four-wicket win, stumbled in the second match with an eight-wicket loss at Lord’s, but bounced back in style in the decider to claim the series and end the tour on a high.