NAVI MUMBAI: The ending of the fairytale known as India’s maiden Ladies’s World Cup triumph could not have been extra becoming. Chasing a low full toss, South African big-hitter Nadine de Klerk, who had smashed a 54-ball 84 not out within the league part to inflict a three-wicket defeat on India, chipped the ball to further cowl, the place Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur jogged backwards to take the catch. Having slammed a precious half-century (58, 58b, 3×4, 1×6) earlier, Deepti Sharma took a five-for (5 for 39 in 9.3 overs), making the ultimate her personal with each bat and ball whereas fashioning India’s biggest-ever victory in ladies’s cricket.Quickly after, a forty five,000-strong crowd, together with the Indian workforce, broke into celebrations, with Harman and the Ladies in Blue breaking into tears of pleasure.Lastly, the Indian ladies’s cricket workforce’s ‘83 second had arrived. Combating again after struggling three defeats on the trot that had put their World Cup marketing campaign in peril, India received the three matches that mattered to cross the road — finally, after quite a few heartbreaks.Outclassing South Africa by 52 runs within the closing of the 2025 Ladies’s ODI World Cup on the DY Patil Stadium on Sunday evening, with 45,000 followers cheering them, India lastly put an finish to their lengthy watch for an elusive World Cup crown. A billion hearts can now have fun the Ladies in Blue’s memorable, historic, game-changing triumph for girls’s cricket in India for a very long time to return — courtesy of a participant who wasn’t even within the reserves!
“God has despatched me right here to do one thing good,” Shafali Verma had mentioned earlier than India slayed giants Australia within the semifinals, because of an excellent hundred by Jemimah Rodrigues.Unfurling a blistering, career-best 87 (78b, 7×4, 2×6), which helped India publish 298 for six after being requested to bat first, and later taking two for 36 in seven overs, Shafali Verma — marking a fairytale comeback — performed a large half in India posting 298 for six after a two-hour rain delay, after which putting important blows when South Africa cruising of their chase at one stage.
Following up on a match-winning epic knock of 169 within the semifinal towards England at Guwahati, South African captain and opener Laura Wolvaardt slammed one other excellent century (101, 98b, 10×4, 1×6). However when she was caught — within the fielder’s third try — by a sprinting Amanjot Kaur off Deepti within the forty second over, the sport was firmly in India’s grip.The Proteas crumbled beneath the stress of a tall chase and a house crowd that cheered their workforce to the historic win all the way in which. Chasing 299, South Africa gave the impression to be coasting at 114 for 2 within the twenty first over, earlier than Shafali’s twin strikes — she caught Sune Luus (25, 31b, 4×4) off her personal innocuous-looking supply, and had Marizanne Kapp (4) caught behind in her subsequent over.Wolvaardt and fellow opener Tazmin Brits (23, 35b, 2×4, 1×6) had added 51 in 57 balls earlier than Amanjot Kaur produced a direct hit to present India the primary breakthrough. Quickly, Anneke Bosch, who had a poor recreation as she dropped a sitter at deep mid-wicket off Shafali when the batter was on 57, was trapped on the again foot by Shree Charani for a six-ball duck.
Banking too closely on their in-form captain, South Africa had been introduced again into the sport by Annerie Dercksen (25 off 37 balls), however Deepti yorked her within the fortieth over to place India within the driver’s seat.Earlier, Shafali Verma’s blistering, career-best 87 (78b, 7×4, 2×6) and Deepti Sharma’s composed half-century (58, 58b, 3×4, 1×6), together with advantageous assist acts by Smriti Mandhana (45, 58b, 8×4) and Richa Ghosh (34 off 24 balls, 3×4, 2×6), helped India publish a difficult, but barely under-par whole of 298 for six towards South Africa within the 2025 Ladies’s ODI World Cup closing on the DY Patil Stadium on Sunday.Requested to bat after a two-hour delayed begin attributable to unseasonal rain, India had been off to a flying begin as Shafali, recalled for the knockouts after Pratika Rawal’s harm, and vice-captain Smriti Mandhana (45), cheered by a vociferous residence crowd of 45,000, added 104 for the opening wicket in 106 balls to put the platform for an enormous whole. It was simply the second hundred-run opening stand in WODI World Cup finals.
Taking part in pleasant strokes, the duo introduced up India’s fifty in simply 39 balls, because the match hosts raced away to 64 for no loss in 10 overs. Seeking to tackle the bowlers by charging down repeatedly, Shafali tonked two sixes down the bottom — the second off de Klerk being a deal with to observe.Scoring her first WODI fifty in over three years — the final one got here towards South Africa too, in July 2022 — Shafali, who scored her fifth half-century off 49 balls, took the bull by the horns, taking the assault to the Proteas earlier than falling in need of her maiden century when she perished whereas making an attempt to clear mid-off off the spirited Ayabonga Khaka, who was the choose of the bowlers, taking three for 58 in 9 overs and putting at common intervals to maintain South Africa within the recreation.Shafali’s 87 is now the highest-ever particular person rating by an Indian opening batter in a World Cup closing — males or ladies, ODI or T20I. At 21 years and 278 days, she’s additionally the youngest participant to attain a fifty in a Ladies’s ODI World Cup closing.The Proteas heaved a sigh of aid when Mandhana was caught behind whereas making an attempt to chop Chloe Tryon, however Shafali, who hit the very first ball she confronted within the closing — from Khaka — for a 4 previous level, saved going, including 62 in 62 balls for the second wicket with semifinal centurion Jemimah Rodrigues (24 off 37 balls, one 4).Striving for his or her maiden World Cup triumph like India, South Africa had been additionally boosted by a cheap spell by left-arm spinner Nonkululeko Mlaba, who took one for 47 in 10 overs on a batting magnificence, placing the brakes on India’s innings.Combating again after India’s commanding begin, South Africa did nicely to disclaim the match hosts a psychological 300-mark. Nonetheless, India recorded the second-highest whole ever in a Ladies’s ODI World Cup closing, behind Australia’s 356 for 5 towards England within the 2022 World Cup.Putting in successive overs, Khaka eliminated Shafali and Jemimah (caught at further cowl), whereas Mlaba castled skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (20 off 29 balls), ending her promising 56-ball, 52-run partnership with Deepti Sharma for the fourth wicket.India had been cruising at 223 for 3 within the thirty ninth over when Harman was dismissed whereas making an attempt to play a late reduce. That blow noticed them get simply 75 within the remaining overs, largely because of Richa’s lusty blows and her 35-ball, 47-run partnership for the sixth wicket with Deepti that introduced the group alive. Richa had hammered a power-packed, preventing 94 off 77 balls when these two groups met within the group stage, and gave impetus to India’s innings on Sunday, smashing sixes off de Klerk and Kapp — an excellent shot over further cowl off a large yorker.Anchoring the innings, Deepti stroked her 18th ODI half-century and third on this match earlier than she was run out off the final ball.Whereas their floor fielding was sensible, South Africa dropped a few catches. They first let off Shafali when, batting on 53 within the twenty first over, she slog-swept Sune Luus to deep mid-wicket, the place Anneke Bosch fluffed the prospect, and within the fortieth over, skipper Laura Wolvaardt grassed Deepti’s catch at long-on. In between, Marizanne Kapp dropped a barely harder likelihood off Deepti off her personal bowling.