When 22-year-old pacer Kranti Gaud bowled her heart out to help India lift its first-ever ICC Women’s ODI World Cup, it wasn’t just a victory for the country – it was redemption for a family that had waited 13 long years for justice and recognition. On Friday, at a felicitation ceremony in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav honored the young cricketer for her outstanding performance in India’s historic World Cup campaign.

But what moved the audience most wasn’t the applause for Kranti – it was the Chief Minister’s assurance to her family. “I’ve come to know about your family’s difficulties. There is a provision for appeal to the state government. We will certainly work on the reinstatement of your father as per the existing rules,” Dr. Yadav announced, drawing emotional applause.

Kranti’s father, Munna Lal Gaud, a police constable, was suspended from service in 2012 over an incident reportedly linked to election duty. Since then, the family living in Ghuwara village of Bundelkhand’s Chhatarpur district has battled poverty and social ridicule.

Her brothers worked as daily wage laborers and bus conductors to sustain the family of eight. Amid these odds, Kranti rose – literally – from the dusty village grounds to the world stage.

Kranti’s spell of three overs for just 16 runs helped seal India’s first world title in women’s cricket. Her mother, Neelam Singh Gaud, wept silently during the celebrations, remembering years of hardship, while her siblings proudly spoke to reporters outside their two-room home on the village’s edge.

Her elder sister, Roshni Singh Gaud, recalls how the journey began: “People mocked her for playing with boys.

But Kranti never stopped. When she was named ‘Player of the Match’ in a local tournament, Coach Rajeev Birthare spotted her talent. That was the turning point.”

Coach Rajeev Birthare, now Secretary of the Chhatarpur District Cricket Association, trained her rigorously in fitness and discipline. “From the beginning, Kranti showed commitment. She gave up sweets completely to stay fit. Injuries couldn’t hold her back – she always bounced back stronger,” he said.

On returning home after the World Cup victory, Kranti shared the stage with her parents and coach as the Chief Minister not only felicitated them but also announced a state-level honor for Kranti on November 15 in Jabalpur during Birsa Munda Jayanti celebrations, and the construction of a new cricket stadium in Chhatarpur – her home district – to nurture more rural sporting talent.

For the Gaud family, Dr. Yadav’s assurance of reviewing Munna Lal’s suspension has rekindled a long-lost hope. If reinstated, it would close a circle that began with loss and struggle but ended with national pride.