The long wait for Indian women’s cricket is finally over. In front of a capacity crowd that carried the team through the night at the D.Y. Patil Stadium, the Women in Blue defeated South Africa by 52 runs to clinch their maiden ICC Women’s ODI World Cup title.
India successfully defended their score of 298/7, which stands as the second-highest total ever posted in an ODI World Cup final. As captain Harmanpreet Kaur lifted the trophy, she fulfilled the dream she spoke of just 24 hours earlier: "We know how it feels to lose, but we are really looking forward to seeing how it feels to win."
India's total was built on a brilliant opening partnership after a two-hour rain delay. Shafali Verma, recalled for the knockouts, played a career-best 87 off 78 balls, the highest individual score by an Indian opener in any senior World Cup final (men or women, ODI or T20I).
Shafali and Smriti Mandhana laid a strong foundation with a 104-run opening stand, only the second hundred-run opening stand in a Women's ODI World Cup final. Despite a mid-innings wobble as wickets fell in the slog overs, a much-needed stand of 47 runs in 35 balls between Deepti Sharma and Richa Ghosh ensured India reached a competitive score just shy of 300.
Chasing a stiff 299, South Africa pinned their hopes on captain Laura Wolvaardt, who provided the backbone to the chase. Wolvaardt brought up a superb, high-pressure second consecutive century, eventually falling for 101 off 98 balls. However, India's bowlers struck at regular intervals.
The decisive moment came when Shafali Verma, deployed as an inspired bowling change, delivered two critical strikes, removing Sune Luus and later the veteran Marizanne Kapp. Wolvaardt found a brief ally in Annerie Dercksen, but when the tiring captain attempted a slog-sweep and was caught by Amanjot Singh, the game swung firmly in India’s favour.
The final act belonged to the star all-rounder, Deepti Sharma, who was sensational with both bat and ball. After scoring a composed half-century, 58 off 58 balls, to anchor the first innings, Deepti tore through the Proteas' tail with a five-wicket haul, finishing with figures of 5 for 39 in 9.3 overs.
South Africa, relying heavily on Wolvaardt, crumbled under the mounting required run rate, unable to match the collective effort of the hosts. The final wicket fell when Nadine de Klerk chipped the ball to Harmanpreet Kaur, sparking raucous celebrations that echoed across the country.
India now has three names, when World Cup winning captains are in contention; Kapil Dev, MS Dhoni, and Harmanpreet Kaur. This sight of 45,000 fans cheering their team to the historic win, coupled with the magnitude of the achievement, is expected to unlock significant untapped talent and usher in a new era for women's cricket in India.