MUMBAI: India’s women’s cricket team etched their names into history on Sunday, lifting their first-ever Cricket World Cup after a commanding 52-run victory over South Africa at Navi Mumbai’s DY Patil Stadium.
Reaching the final for the third time, Harmanpreet Kaur’s side seized the moment with a blend of aggression and composure that electrified a home crowd hungry for redemption after last year’s heartbreak for the men’s team.
Batting first after a rain delay, India posted a formidable 298 for seven, the second-highest total ever in a Women’s World Cup final. Openers Smriti Mandhana (45) and Shafali Verma (87 off 78) laid a strong foundation, while Deepti Sharma’s all-round brilliance shone once again with a fluent 58 and a match-winning five-wicket haul.
Richa Ghosh’s fiery 34 off just 24 balls provided the late flourish that lifted India to a total South Africa never truly looked capable of chasing.
For South Africa, captain Laura Wolvaardt was a lone warrior. Her fluent 101 off 98 balls gave her side brief hope, following her century in the semifinal win against England. But her dismissal off Deepti Sharma’s clever flighted delivery ended South Africa’s resistance at 246 in the 46th over.
The result marked a turning point in women’s cricket, the first World Cup final not featuring traditional powerhouses Australia or England, and the first to be won by a South Asian women’s side.
With this victory, India’s women achieved what had eluded their male counterparts on home soil just a year earlier. Smriti Mandhana finished as India’s top scorer for the tournament with 434 runs, surpassing the legendary Mithali Raj’s 2017 tally.
“This is not just our win, it’s a win for every girl who picked up a bat dreaming of this day,” said captain Harmanpreet Kaur, her voice breaking amid the celebrations.
For a cricket-obsessed nation, this triumph represents more than a trophy, it’s a defining cultural moment that promises to elevate women’s sport to new heights in India and across the world.
-WNN
