Indian women’s cricket finally scaled its Everest on Sunday, as years of toil and heartbreak culminated in glory with a 52-run win over South Africa in Navi Mumbai, sealing the nation's maiden ICC Women’s ODI World Cup through stellar all-round efforts from Shafali Verma and Deepti Sharma.
India's breakthrough in the 13th edition of the global showpiece made them only the fourth team to win the trophy, joining Australia (7), England (4) and New Zealand (1) in the pantheon of champions.
With the victory, Harmanpreet's team finally buried the ghosts of past heartbreaks -- the 2005 and 2017 finals -- and delivered India's much-awaited World title, a watershed moment for the game in the country.
Batting first, India posted a competitive 298 for seven -- the second-highest total in tournament history-- powered by Shafali’s fluent 87, Smriti Mandhana’s 45, and a crucial 58 from Deepti.
Set a target of 299 by India, skipper Laura Wolvaardt’s fighting century went in vain as South Africa faltered in their chase, as the brilliance brilliance of Deepti (5/39) and Shafali (2/36) ensured India's moment of destiny could not be denied.
Wolvaardt struck a fluent 101 off 98 balls before miscuing a lofted shot off Deepti Sharma to Amanjot Kaur at deep mid-wicket, leaving South Africa reeling at 211 for seven in the 41st over. Her dismissal, after a 61-run stand with Annerie Dercksen (35), dented the hosts’ hopes as they still needed 88 runs off the final nine overs.
Earlier, South Africa made a steady start, reaching 52 for one in 10 overs. Openers Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits (23) added 51 runs before a sharp direct hit from Amanjot Kaur caught Brits short of her crease while attempting a quick single.
Anneke Bosch (0) fell soon after, trapped leg before by young spinner Shree Charani, reducing South Africa to 62 for two. Sune Luus (25) then joined Wolvaardt to rebuild before falling to a miscued shot. India soon struck a major blow as Marizanne Kapp fell for 4 in the 23rd over, tightening their grip on the game.
When Wolvaardt threatened to take the game away, Deepti struck twice in four balls, removing the Proteas skipper and Chloe Tryon (9), to break the spine of the chase. She fittingly applied the finishing touch, dismissing Nadine de Klerk for her fifth wicket to spark celebrations of a lifetime.
India’s golden night
India’s triumph was fittingly shaped by two players on contrasting paths.
Deepti Sharma, the dependable workhorse, finished as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker with 21 scalps, showcasing craft and composure on the biggest stage. Shafali Verma, recalled after Pratika Rawal’s injury, seized her second chance with a defining all-round performance.
Shafali’s robust 87 set the tone before crucial knocks from Deepti (58 off 58, 3x4, 1x6) and Richa Ghosh (34 off 24, 3x4, 2x6) pushed India to 298/7 in the Women’s World Cup final on Sunday. Their 47-run stand for the sixth wicket revived the innings after Jemimah Rodrigues (24) and captain Harmanpreet Kaur (20) failed to capitalise on starts.
South Africa’s bowlers, aided by a slowing surface after a rain delay, kept striking regularly to limit India’s surge. Shafali, though, showed rare maturity — mixing aggression with smart rotation — as she and Smriti Mandhana (45) gave India a 104-run opening stand that had South Africa reeling early.
Mandhana, fluent with her cuts, sweeps and signature off-side drives, fell for 45 off 58 balls to Chloe Tryon (1/46), ending a fine campaign with 434 runs at an average of 54.25 — the highest ever by an Indian batter in a Women’s World Cup, including a century and two fifties.
Ayabonga Khaka (3/58), after a shaky start, dismissed Shafali with a well-disguised delivery that Sune Luus safely pouched at mid-off. Shafali, dropped earlier by Anneke Bosch, fell 13 short of a maiden World Cup hundred.
Jemimah, India’s semifinal hero, was undone by a sharp low catch from skipper Laura Wolvaardt off Khaka, while Harmanpreet’s promising partnership of 52 with Deepti ended when she was bowled by Nonkululeko Mlaba attempting a late cut.
Amanjot Kaur’s brief stay ended with a brilliant one-handed return catch by Nadine de Klerk, as India’s middle order faltered. But Deepti steadied the innings with her composed half-century, ensuring India had enough on the board.
Weeks after being confined to domestic cricket, Shafali’s 87 off 84 balls — followed by two vital wickets — symbolised India’s night of redemption. Her re-entry proved inspired, and together with Mandhana, she gave India the perfect launchpad for a historic victory.
Earlier, South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt has won the toss and elected to bowl against India in the Women’s World Cup final. It is a crucial toss win for the Proteas, as any team would prefer to bowl first under overcast skies and with the looming threat of rain.
The conditions are expected to favour the bowlers early on, making this decision tactically sound.
“We are going to bowl first. Bit of rain around and there might be dew later on, hoping for a bit of slipperiness early on with all the rain around. We are unchanged from the semis. Big game for us and we are really excited for the opportunity to be here and play in front of a big crowd. We are very confident,” said South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt.
India captain Harmanpreet Kaur said she too would have preferred to bowl first. “We were looking to bowl looking at the overhead conditions. We will try to bat well and put up a decent score. I don’t think there will be much on the pitch after 5-6 overs. We are going with the same team. We had two days to recover after the semis and everyone is looking forward to this game,” she said.
Mel Jones and Dinesh Karthik, presenting the pitch report, said the surface was similar to that used in the semi-final. “31 degrees right now. Dimensions, 57 and 56 metres on the sides and 66 down the ground. We are playing smack bang in the middle. Very similar to the semi-final pitch. It’s the same pitch that was used for the India–New Zealand game. The degree of spin is less compared to the other ground,” they said.
India Women (Playing XI): Shafali Verma, Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (w), Amanjot Kaur, Radha Yadav, Kranti Gaud, Shree Charani, Renuka Singh Thakur.
South Africa Women (Playing XI): Laura Wolvaardt (c), Tazmin Brits, Anneke Bosch, Sune Luus, Marizanne Kapp, Sinalo Jafta (w), Annerie Dercksen, Chloe Tryon, Nadine de Klerk, Ayabonga Khaka, Nonkululeko Mlaba.
