Kaur, Jemimah and now Shafali; Indian women's team crowned ICC women's World Cup champions

MUMBAI: The Indian women's team created history by winning the World Cup title after a hard-fought battle against South Africa. India won their maiden title by defeating South Africa by 52 runs in the final held today. Batting first after losing the toss in the rain-delayed final match at the D.Y. Patil Stadium in Mumbai, India, scored 298 runs for the loss of seven wickets in their stipulated 50 overs. In reply, South Africa were all out for 246 in 45.3 overs.

India reached a decent total, thanks to the combined efforts of openers Shafali Verma (87), Deepti Sharma (58), Smriti Mandhana (45) and Richa Ghosh (34). Jemimah Rodrigues, who took India to the final with a historic century in the semi-final, scored 24 runs. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur, who had scored a half-century in the semi-final, completed her innings with 20 runs.

Smriti and Shafali opened the innings, putting on 104 runs in 7.4 overs, laying the foundation for India's impressive total. However, losing Smriti at 104 runs was a setback for India. Jemimah arrived at the first down position, just like in the semis, but failed to create an impact similar to her previous heroics.

Chasing the total, South Africa’s Laura Wolvaardt scared the Indian side with her resilience with the bat. Despite having the chances, South Africa stumbled of late, which is credited to India’s strategic approach in fielding and bowling. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur’s decision to hand over the bowl to amateur bowler Shafali turned the game in India’s favour.