India etched their name in cricketing history on Sunday, defeating South Africa by 52 runs at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai to claim their maiden Women’s ODI World Cup title — and, in the process, becoming only the third nation after England and Australia to win both men’s and women’s ODI World Cups.
Led by captain Harmanpreet Kaur and inspired by Deepti Sharma’s phenomenal all-round performance, India completed a remarkable turnaround in the tournament to lift their first-ever women’s world title. The victory also made it India’s third World Cup triumph in ODIs overall, following the men’s triumphs under Kapil Dev in 1983 and MS Dhoni in 2011 at the nearby Wankhede Stadium.
Deepti was the architect of India’s victory, producing a dream performance in the final. She struck a composed 58 to help India post 298 for 7 and then dismantled South Africa’s batting line-up with figures of 5 for 39. Shafali Verma complemented her brilliantly, top-scoring with 87 and chipping in with two wickets to script a historic night for Indian cricket.
India’s journey to the crown was as dramatic as it was inspiring. The team had lost three matches in a row in the group stage and qualified for the semifinals as the last entrant. But from there, they stunned defending champions Australia in the semifinal and then outplayed South Africa in the final, proving their resilience and self-belief.
Put in to bat after a rain delay, India’s batting clicked when it mattered most. Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana provided a strong start with a 100-run opening stand, completing 1000 partnership runs as an opening pair. Mandhana made 45 off 58, while Shafali’s fluent 78-ball 87, featuring seven fours and two sixes, set the tone for India’s innings.
Deepti Sharma then carried the momentum forward, adding 47 crucial runs for the sixth wicket with Richa Ghosh (34) to lift India close to the 300-mark.
In reply, South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt continued her superb form with a century (101 off 95 balls), but her effort went in vain as Deepti’s spin and India’s sharp fielding sealed the deal. Shafali and Amanjot Kaur provided key breakthroughs, while the rest of the attack maintained pressure throughout.
As the final South African wicket fell, the packed crowd erupted, celebrating a moment that will be remembered as a defining chapter in Indian cricket.
Brief Scores:
India 298/7 in 50 overs (Shafali Verma 87, Deepti Sharma 58, Richa Ghosh 34; Ayabonga Khaka 3-58)
beat
South Africa 246 all out in 45.3 overs (Laura Wolvaardt 101, Annerie Dercksen 35; Deepti Sharma 5-39, Shafali Verma 2-36)
by 52 runs.
