NAVI MUMBAI: The final frontier. The ultimate battle. The summit clash. Label it what you want but the World Cup final between India and South Africa is without doubt the pinnacle of women’s cricket. It's also the oldest running showpiece in cricket.
For the vast majority of the 52 years, India and South Africa have had the chance to be a comma in one edition. A semi colon in some installments. But they have never been main attraction. That honour has primarily belonged to Australia or England with New Zealand crashing that duopoly once in 2000. This time? One of these proud countries finally have the chance to be a full stop, the main act.
This is not an exaggeration. Sunday will be the first time a women's final will be played without at least one of Australia or England. For the first time in 25 years, a new champion will be born. Therein lies the significance of the contest between India and South Africa, two countries where the growth story for women's sport continues to rise but a victory on Sunday could see that rise take off in spectacular fashion.
The Women in Blue came close on two occasions. The first time was in 2005 before they lost to Australia in the final. It marked a historical moment as women’s cricket was taken over by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) from the Women’s Cricket Association of India (WCAI). When they reached the final in 2017, it marked the awakening of the women’s game in India (Harmanpreet Kaur's effort to dump Australia out of the semifinal with a stellar hand also contributed).
However, it did not necessarily translate into progress, at least not until the last few years. And there is still a long road to be covered. Kaur acknowledged that in the pre-match press conference. “Last time when we reached the finals, after coming back, we saw a big change in India," she said. "Women's cricket has progressed, and we saw a lot of girls on the ground. I'm sure that when we win this final, we will see many more changes and cricket will see more improvements, not only on the international level but also on the domestic level. There will be many more improvements. I think we are really looking forward to that moment where women's cricket will get more seriousness and viewership."
For their opponents on Sunday, the story hasn’t been any different, but perhaps without the financial prowess of the BCCI, the significance only heightens. In 2023, they became the first South African team, across genders, to qualify for a senior World Cup final (it came in the T20 format). They lost that final to Australia, but it happened in front of a record home crowd at Newlands. They went on to reach the final of the 2024 T20 WC, beating Australia in the semis, but fell short against New Zealand.
Ask any South African in the vicinity of Mumbai and they say, ‘We need this trophy more (than India)’. Their captain, Laura Wolvaardt, did not underplay the significance. “For us, I think it would just be really special for women's cricket in the country," she said. "We've recently been introduced domestically (contracts). I can only imagine what something like a World Cup would do back home and just the amount of girls that will be able to see it on TV and hear that we're a World Cup-winning nation. It's hopefully very inspirational."
Both Kaur and Wolvaardt, while acknowledging the significance, tried to play down pressure. The Indian captain said it would be the biggest day in her life and that she wants them to enjoy and be positive. Wolvaardt, meanwhile, kept reiterating that they are not looking too far ahead, and the one who holds the nerve for the longest could go all the way. South Africa, while left unsaid, are also banking on how spent the Indian team would have been after the historic chase to beat Australia in the semifinal. After all, they experienced it first hand in last year's T20 World Cup.
India, on the other hand, remained in positive spirits with not much intensity in their training. They had strolled down from the hotel to the ground, did the warm-ups and spent time in the dressing room. Barring Uma Chetry, no one else even batted. For they knew after the kind of match they had against Australia, recovery was the key. The last thing they would want is to show up in front of a record crowd and feel spent.
One thing is for sure. Irrespective of who wins, it is going to be a historic result — one that may potentially have a long-lasting effect on the growth of the game. Who will be the last one standing?
Weather permitting, it will be known later on Sunday
