It was very much poetic and fitting that Deepti Sharma picked up the last wicket of the ICC Womenâ€s World Cup final against South Africa and Harmanpreet Kaur claimed the catch of Nadine de Klerk that sealed the trophy for her side, a maiden ICC Womenâ€s World Cup trophy for India.
For, Deepti and Harmanpreet, along with Smriti Mandhana, were part of the XI that fell only nine cruel runs short of the trophy in the 2017 final against England at Lordâ€s.
But tonight, at the stroke of midnight, with not just the cricket lovers but even those non-cricket fans tuning in, India scripted history, beating Laura Wolvaardtâ€s South Africa by 52 runs in Navi Mumbai, sending the country into raptures.
While Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet, and Mandhana couldnâ€t get the defining knock today, the match-winning performances came from Shafali Verma, the opener-turned-all-rounder, and Deepti Sharma, Indiaâ€s key all-rounder for almost a decade now.
They helped India stave off the threat posed by an outstanding century from Wolvaardt, whose side has now suffered three consecutive losses in three ICC finals.
ICC Womenâ€s World Cup India vs South Africa Final: Report
Wolvaardt won the toss and elected to field first, with the game starting with a two-hour delay due to rain. India got off to a flyer of a start from Mandhana and Verma.
Verma blitzed through as Mandhana played a second fiddle in the opening stand of 104 runs off 17.4 overs. After the left-hander was dismissed, Verma carried on to notch up her highest WODI score but fell 13 runs short of a maiden WODI century.
Both Jemimah and Harmanpreet got starts, but neither of them could capitalize on them, getting out for 24 and 20, respectively. Deepti held her end, going at run-a-ball in scoring 58 runs, and some impetus was provided by Richa Ghosh, who blasted 34 off 24 as India finished with 298 on the board.
India vs South Africa Final Report: Shafali Verma rolls magic arm, Deepti takes 5 as India overcome Wolvaardt
The chase was interesting. After South Africa were 62/2, a dangerous partnership between Wolvaardt and Sune Luus began to build as both attacked the spinners.
In the 21st over then, Harmanpreet played a wild card, thinking out of the box to hand the ball to Shafali, who then made a double strike of Luus and Marizanne Kapp.
From thereon, India began their squeeze. Even as Wolvaardt inched towards her century, and even as Annerie Dercksen thumped 35 off 37, India remained on top with Deepti hammering away one wicket after another. Eventually, Wolvaardt ran out of gas, scoring 101 off 98, and Deepti flew away with a five-wicket haul, including the final nail in the coffin.
Shafali Verma, who was not even part of the initial squad and was called in directly into the semi-final to replace the injured Pratika Rawal, was named the Player of the Match in the final for 87 (78) and 2/36.
Who is the Player of the Tournament of ICC Womenâ€s World Cup 2025?
Deepti Sharma was named the Player of the Tournament of the ICC Womenâ€s World Cup 2025. She finished as the leading wicket-taker with 22 wickets and scored 215 runs.
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