Indian players celebrate with the trophy after defeating South Africa (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
India clinched their first ever ICC Women’s World Cup title with an impressive 52-run victory over South Africa at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Sunday. Led by skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, the triumph featured outstanding performances from Deepti Sharma, who scored a fifty and took five wickets, and Shafali Verma’s impressive 87 runs and two wickets to help India overcome previous finals disappointments in 2005 and 2017. India set a target of 298/7 with Shafali Verma scoring 87 runs and Deepti Sharma contributing 58 runs. South Africa, despite captain Laura Wolvaardt scoring 101 runs, were restricted to 246 runs with Deepti Sharma claiming 5/39 and Shafali Verma 2/36. The victory came after India’s remarkable win against seven-time champions Australia in the previous match, where they successfully chased down a record target of 339 runs, including a century by Jeminah Rodrigues and a special performance by Harmanpreet Kaur. Olympic gold medalist Neeraj Chopra wrote on X: “World Champions! Congratulations to the Indian Women’s Cricket Team for winning their first ever Women’s ODI World Cup title. What a performance!”
Posted by Neeraj Chopra
Former India cricketer Ashwin wrote: “Congratulations @BCCIWomen it’s been one hell of a campaign. Congratulations to the girls and the entire support staff led by @amolmuzumdar11.” Irfan Pathan shared on X, “Many congratulations to @BCCIWomen for winning the World Cup. Great game. Deepti Sharma what a player you are. Shafali well done.” Shikhar Dhawan wrote: “Unbelievable win by the women in blue! @TheShafaliVerma’s fearless batting and @Deepti_Sharma06’s all-round class made all the difference. Champions in every sense of the word!”
Posted by Shikhar Dhawan
Former South Africa captain AB de Villiers commented: “Congratulations Team India. Keep your heads up @ProteasWomenCSA. The global women’s game is on the rise… what a final, what a tournament!”
Posted by AB de Villiers
Harbhajan Singh wrote: “We are the champion team of India. We are so proud of you. Bharat Mahan tha a Rahega hamesha. Jai Hind.” Virender Sehwag wrote: “Champions! Har chaque har wicket, apne jajbe se poore desh ka dil liya! Proud of our world champion girls. What a win. @ImHarmanpreet Kaur and her team gave a generation a dream to win, ladne ka, chamakne ka!”
Posted by Virender Sehwag
Ajinkya Rahane shared, “Your spirit, determination and belief brought the World Cup home. Many congratulations to Team India!” Former Australia wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist wrote: “Congratulations Team India on winning your first World Cup. Great team performance.” India’s innings began with a strong century partnership between Smriti Mandhana (45 runs) and Shafali Verma, followed by a 62-run partnership between Verma and Jemimah Rodrigues (24 runs). A 52-run stand between skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (20 runs) and Deepti Sharma helped India clear the 200-run mark. The final push came from Deepti Sharma and Richa Ghosh (34 runs) which helped India reach 298/7 in their allotted 50 overs. South Africa’s Ayabonga Khaka was the leading wicket taker with 3/58.
