India won the Women’s Cricket World Cup for the first time after defeating South Africa by 52 runs on Sunday.
Opener Shafali Verma starred with a career-best 87 off 78 balls, helping the co-hosts post 298-7 in their 50 overs at DY Patil Stadium after losing the toss and batting first.
In response, South Africa were bowled out for 246 in 45.3 overs, with their chase effectively ended after captain Laura Wolvaardt’s 101-run innings off 98 balls. Deepti Sharma claimed the final wicket, finishing with impressive figures of 5-39 from 9.3 overs.
This marked India’s third World Cup final appearance, following their previous outings in 2005 and 2017, while South Africa were making their first-ever final appearance.
Both teams fielded unchanged line-ups from the semifinals, in which India beat defending champions Australia by five wickets, and South Africa defeated four-time champions England by 125 runs.
Sharma and Verma put in notable all-round performances. Drafted in last week to replace injured Pratika Rawal, Verma also contributed with the ball, taking 2-36. Sharma scored 58 runs before her five-wicket haul, helping India post the second-highest total in a Women’s World Cup final, behind Australia’s 356-5 against England in 2022.
Wolvaardt shone with a well-crafted century, building on her semifinal heroics against England, but it was not enough to secure the trophy for South Africa.