NEW DELHI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday hailed the Indian women's cricket team for fighting till the end after it suffered a heart-breaking defeat against South Africa to crash out of the Women's World Cup.
"I applaud #TeamIndia led by @M_Raj03 (Mithali Raj) for fighting till the end. Their #CWC22 journey embodied the team's never say die spirit. Wishing you all the best for your future battles," Gandhi tweeted.
India crashed out of the Women's World Cup after suffering a three-wicket defeat against South Africa in a must-win league-stage game that went down to the wire in New Zealand's Christchurch on Sunday.
Smriti Mandhana (71), Shafali Verma (53) and skipper Mithali Raj (68) struck half-centuries, setting the platform for India to reach a competitive 274 for seven at the Hagley Oval.
Despite India's average bowling and fielding, the match went the full distance with off-spinner Deepti Sharma needing to defend seven runs in the final over, but South Africa won on the last ball.