India Clinch Historic Maiden Women’s World Cup Title with 52-Run Win Over South Africa

Navi Mumbai, Nov 2025 : India created history on Sunday night, lifting their maiden Women’s World Cup title with a commanding 52-run victory over South Africa in a gripping final at the DY Patil Stadium. A collective all-round effort, highlighted by Deepti Sharma’s five-wicket haul and Shafali Verma’s crucial breakthroughs, powered India to a memorable triumph in front of an electrified home crowd.

Chasing 299 for victory, South Africa started strongly but faltered under sustained pressure from India’s disciplined bowling attack. The turning point came in the 42nd over when captain Laura Wolvaardt—who stood tall with a brilliant 101—was dismissed, triggering a collapse. In the same over, Chloe Tryon fell for 9, leaving South Africa eight down and still needing 78 runs off 48 balls. Though Nadine de Klerk attempted a late fightback, India wrapped up the innings at 246 in 45.3 overs to seal the win.

Deepti Sharma spearheaded India’s defense with an outstanding spell of 5/39, applying relentless pressure in the middle overs. Shafali Verma, who had earlier top-scored with 87, contributed significantly with the ball as well, removing Sune Luus with her very first delivery and later dismissing key all-rounder Marizanne Kapp. Her strikes dented South Africa’s momentum at crucial stages, while Sinalo Jafta’s dismissal further deepened their trouble.

South Africa had begun their chase confidently, with Tazmin Brits and Wolvaardt stitching together a brisk 50-run partnership in the powerplay. However, Brits was run out by a sharp direct hit from Amanjot Kaur, giving India their first breakthrough. Debutant Sree Charani made an immediate impact too, trapping Anneke Bosch LBW in her opening over. Still, Wolvaardt kept the chase alive, bringing up her 39th ODI fifty and guiding her side past the 100-run mark alongside Luus.

But India’s decision to introduce Shafali Verma into the attack proved decisive, as her back-to-back breakthroughs swung the match firmly in India’s favor.

Earlier in the day, India posted a strong 298/7—the second-highest total in a Women’s ODI World Cup final. An excellent 100-run opening stand between Shafali (87) and Smriti Mandhana (45) set the tone. At 223/3, India appeared poised for a mammoth score, but South Africa fought back in the death overs to contain the hosts just short of 300.

Deepti Sharma anchored the middle order with a composed 54, while Richa Ghosh’s quickfire 34 added valuable late runs. For South Africa, Ayabonga Khaka led the bowling with 3/58, supported by wickets from Nonkululeko Mlaba, Nadine de Klerk, and Chloe Tryon.

Brief Scores:
India 298/7 in 50 overs (Shafali Verma 87, Deepti Sharma 54, Richa Ghosh 34; Ayabonga Khaka 3-58)
South Africa 246/10 in 45.3 overs (Laura Wolvaardt 101, Annerie Dercksen 35; Deepti Sharma 5-39, Shafali Verma 2-36)
Result: India won by 52 runs.