FINAL , INDIA W Vs SOUTH AFRICA W , NAVI MUMBAI , ICC WOMENS WORLD CUP 2025 HIGHLIGHTS : Shafali And Deepti’s Magical Performance Secured Maiden Women World Cup Glory For India .
Shafali Verma and Deepti Sharma delivered outstanding all-round displays as India triumphed over South Africa by 52 runs to secure their maiden Women’s World Cup championship. Shafali compiled 87 runs from 78 deliveries, while Deepti added a strike-rate-perfect 58, enabling India to reach 298 for 7 across 50 overs after being asked to bat first. During South Africa’s reply, the visitors were dismissed for 246. Deepti dominated with bowling figures of five wickets for 39 runs, while Shafali supported with two scalps for 36. Shafali And Deepti’s Magical Performance Secured Maiden Women World Cup Glory For India .
TOSS
South Africa Women won the coin flip and chose to bowl first.
PLAYING XI
India Women:
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:
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
INDIA WOMEN
The hosts enjoyed contributions from several players, starting with their opening partnership that produced a hundred-run stand. With rain pushing back the start time by two hours, most expected batting conditions would prove challenging during the early stages. Instead, Verma displayed aggressive intent, advancing down the pitch to counter the available movement. The attacking opener found boundaries consistently as India launched briskly. Smriti Mandhana also contributed with a few boundaries against Ayabonga Khaka as India sprinted to 45/0 within the first six overs, thrilling the packed stadium.
Nevertheless, South Africa tightened their grip afterward through bowling adjustments, restricting India to just 47 runs across the following ten overs despite no wicket falling. Chloe Tryon eventually provided the breakthrough by dismissing Mandhana. India’s scoring rate remained promising with Verma continuing her brilliant form, reaching her half-century in commanding fashion. With semifinal star Jemimah Rodrigues also settling in nicely at the opposite end, danger signals appeared for the South African team. Yet again, they managed to stall India’s momentum by removing both established batters, with Verma falling 13 runs short of her first century.
This situation required Harmanpreet Kaur and Deepti Sharma to reconstruct India’s innings, and while they achieved reasonable success, India lost their skipper at a crucial moment. Amanjot Kaur failed to make a meaningful contribution, placing responsibility on Deepti and Richa Ghosh to provide a strong finish. The pair certainly delivered, adding valuable runs. Ghosh particularly impressed from the moment she launched her second delivery over extra cover for a maximum. With Deepti also reaching her fifty, India appeared destined for a total exceeding 300 before South Africa bowled two economical overs to restrict the hosts to 298.
SOUTH AFRICA WOMEN-
Despite a slow beginning, South Africa managed to find their rhythm during the powerplay phase. India’s opening bowlers kept things tight, allowing only 12 runs across the first four overs of the run chase, with Tazmin Brits particularly struggling at 6 runs from 16 deliveries. Wolvaardt stepped up to accelerate the scoring, finding boundaries in consecutive overs before Brits launched a six over long off. Wolvaardt then struck successive fours against Amanjot’s opening over, propelling South Africa to 51/0 after 9 overs. However, Amanjot’s exceptional fielding in the following over provided India with their opening wicket through a precise direct hit that dismissed Brits.
While Wolvaardt maintained her aggressive approach with regular boundaries, India seized momentum by claiming another wicket at the opposite end. Anneke Bosch concluded her disappointing tournament with a third golden duck, falling lbw to Shree Charani. South Africa mounted a temporary comeback following the drinks interval as boundaries began flowing once more. Sune Luus displayed excellent form while Wolvaardt surpassed 500 tournament runs and notched another half-century. Nevertheless, Harmanpreet’s tactical decision to introduce Verma in the 21st over became a game-changing move that surprised South Africa. She struck with her second ball as Luus chipped a return catch to the bowler, then in her subsequent over, trapped Marizanne Kapp with an edge down the leg side for the wicketkeeper to collect, dramatically shifting the match momentum.
Deepti inflicted further damage on the batting lineup by claiming another scalp, ending Sinalo Jafta’s disappointing innings at the crease. Seeking momentum to revive their chase, Annerie Dercksen capitalized on a no-ball from Radha Yadav to smash consecutive sixes. Dercksen gradually built confidence, and with Wolvaardt appearing comfortable at the other end, South Africa refused to surrender. Deepti then produced a magical moment, delivering a perfect yorker to bowl Dercksen. In her immediate next over, Deepti also secured the crucial dismissal of Wolvaardt, who had just completed another century following her semifinal performance.
After Deepti also dismissed Tyron lbw three deliveries later, South Africa’s fate seemed sealed as their chase crumbled spectacularly. Nadine de Klerk, who had previously shocked India during their group stage meeting, briefly threatened to produce another miraculous escape. However, the challenge proved too demanding as South Africa ultimately surrendered, getting dismissed for 246 runs with Deepti fittingly claiming the final wicket to complete her five-wicket haul.
Brief scores:
India 298/7 in 50 overs (Shafali Verma 87, Deepti Sharma 58; Ayabonga Khaka 3/58) beat South Africa 246 in 45.3 overs (Laura Wolvaardt 101; Deepti Sharma 5/39, Shafali Verma 2/36) by 52 runs.