History made: Magnificent India lift maiden ICC Women's Cricket World Cup
The DY Patil Stadium was a sea of emotions as Team India produced a spectacular show in the final against South Africa to lift their maiden ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup.
On a starry Sunday night in Navi Mumbai, joy, relief, and tears flowed as India beat South Africa by 52 runs to claim the coveted trophy. The openers — Shafali Verma and vice-captain Smriti Mandhana (45) — set the tone with a solid 104-run stand. Verma scored a free-flowing to 87 off 78 balls, registering the second-fastest fifty in a Women’s ODI World Cup final and becoming the youngest batter to score a fifty in the summit clash.
Deepti Sharma anchored the innings with a crucial half-century, while Richa Ghosh provided the late thrust with a quick-fire 34 off 24 balls as India posted 298/7.
A superb bowling display and fantastic fielding effort then saw India bowl South Africa out for 246. Amanjot Kaur set the tone in the field with a brilliant direct-hit run-out of Tazmin Brits, breaking a 51-run opening stand. One brought two as Sree Charani trapped Anneke Bosch LBW. Harmanpreet Kaur’s sharp captaincy and Shafali Verma’s golden arm then worked wonders, sending back Sune Luus and Marizanne Kapp.
Deepti Sharma delivered the knockout blow, taking five wickets and effecting a run-out. She started by dismissing Sinalo Jafta and Annerie Dercksen before removing centurion Laura Wolvaardt. In the same over, she trapped Chloe Tryon LBW for her fourth, then teamed up with Richa Ghosh to run out Ayabonga Khaka, before sealing victory with the wicket of Nadine de Klerk as the players set off in jubilant celebrations.
It was a solid display of grit, determination, skill, and resilience by Team India throughout the tournament as they put on a special show in front of the home crowd. They began positively with a 59-run win (via DLS Method) over Sri Lanka in their World Cup opener in Guwahati. Deepti Sharma starred with a solid all-round performance, scoring a run-a-ball 53 and picking up three wickets.
They carried the momentum forward in the second match with a convincing 88-run win over Pakistan in Colombo.
A brief blip followed as they lost close, hard-fought encounters against South Africa, Australia, and England. However, the Indian team bounced back in style, registering a fine 53-run win (via DLS Method) over New Zealand while breaking multiple records. Vice-captain Smriti Mandhana (109) and Pratika Rawal (122) set the stage alight with brilliant centuries, putting on the highest opening stand for India in World Cups — 212 — and powering the team to their highest World Cup total of 340/3. Jemimah Rodrigues added a valuable 76* off 55 balls. A complete bowling performance backed up the batting effort as India restricted New Zealand to 271/8 and sealed a place in the semi-finals.
In their next match, a disciplined bowling effort saw India restrict Bangladesh to 119/9 in 27 overs in a rain-hit contest. The chase began strongly at 57/0 before rain intervened, ending the match in a no result.
The semi-finals beckoned, and in the big clash against Australia, Team India produced magic. They chased down a record 339 — the highest successful run chase in Women’s ODI history — to storm into the final. Jemimah Rodrigues led the charge with an innings of a lifetime, an unbeaten 127*(135) in front of a rapturous Navi Mumbai crowd. She added 167 crucial runs with captain Harmanpreet Kaur, who struck a brilliant 89(88). Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh, and Amanjot Kaur chipped in with vital cameos as India completed the chase with five wickets in hand and nine balls to spare. Riding on confidence and momentum, India carried that form into the final, defeating South Africa to create history.
