It was a case of third time lucky for the co-hosts, as it was the third time India had reached the final, while it was heartbreak for South Africa. Although the Proteas were playing in the 50-over World Cup final for the first time, it was their third overall, having contested the championship matches of the previous two T20 World Cups.

India were disciplined in every aspect of the game – with solid batting, bowling, and fielding throughout. For South Africa, it was less so, and they should have done better with the bat up front, especially as soft dismissals led to a lack of partnerships. It was unrealistic to rely on just one player to carry the innings.

India are the 2025 World Champions. Photo: Cricinfo

South Africa won the toss and had no hesitation in sending India in to bat first at the high-scoring venue.

The hosts posted 298/7 in their 50 overs, with Shafali Verma top-scoring with 87 off 78 balls and Deepti Sharma contributing 58 off 58, while Smriti Mandhana added 45 off 58 at the top of the order.

Ayabonga Khaka was the pick of the South African bowlers with 3/58 in nine overs, while Nonkululeko Mlaba was the most economical with 1/47 in 10.

In reply, a valiant 101 by captain Laura Wolvaardt was not enough as the Proteas were bowled out for 246 in 45.3 overs.

South Africa made a fairly solid start with an opening stand of 51 in 9.3 overs before Tazmin Brits was run out for 23 after attempting a single that wasn’t on. Anneke Bosch was then trapped LBW for a duck, capping off a tough day after dropping two regulation catches earlier. Suné Luus looked good for her 23 off 31 before being caught and bowled by Shafali Verma.

Marizanne Kapp’s stay at the crease lasted only five runs before she chased a wide delivery down leg and was caught behind.

Deepti Sharma. Photo: Cricinfo

Annerie Dercksen showed plenty of intent with back-to-back sixes before being bowled by a peach from Sharma for 35 off 37. At that stage, with South Africa on 202/6 after 39.3 overs, the Proteas were still in the hunt – but Wolvaardt was caught in the deep for 101 off 98 balls as she looked to up the tempo.

Nadine de Klerk added a quick-fire 18 off 19 before she was caught to be the final wicket to fall at the World Cup.

Sharma’s 5/39 in 9.3 overs effectively sealed the title for India, and she was rightly named Player of the Match after also contributing 58 with the bat.

Reflecting on the defeat, Wolvaardt conceded that the lack of partnerships and leaving too much to do at the end ultimately cost them the title.

“I thought we were in the chase for a very long time – we were pretty neck and neck with them,” said Wolvaardt.

“When they showed the updates on the scoreboard, I thought my and Dercksen’s partnership was pretty big. I thought we were going to take it through to the end. Then she just got out right as we were trying to launch into the last ten overs, and I went soon after.

Laura Wolvaardt. Photo: Cricinfo

“I still thought Chloe and Nadine could do it together. I think we left Nadine a little bit too much to do by herself, but yeah, we were right in that game for a lot of it.”

The victorious Indian captain, Harmanpreet Kaur, said they backed themselves to win a first World Cup title from the very first ball.

“We felt we could win from the first ball itself,” said Kaur.

“The way our team played in the last three games, a lot of things changed for us – especially our self-belief.

Harmanpreet Kaur catching Nadine de Klerk to seal the historic win. Photo: Cricinfo

“We’ve played good cricket for a long time and knew what we could do as a team. So from the start, even though we don’t usually win the toss, we knew we had to bat first. We expected tough conditions for batting, but credit goes to Smriti and Shafali – they handled the first ten overs very well.

“Our aim was simple – if we thought about a big target, we’d come under pressure. The key was to keep batting and play our game. We tried to get 300 on the board – we were one run short – but then we came onto the field as a strong unit. Whenever we needed a breakthrough, we got one. 

“It was a very good match. It seems easy to say now, but there was a lot of tension when they were batting – Laura just wouldn’t give a chance. But at the end of the day, I’m feeling great. I can’t really express it, but I’m just trying to share what I’m feeling.”

Anneke Bosch’s costly drop of Shafali Verma on 56. Verma went on to score another 31 runs. Photo: Cricinfo

To cap off a special tournament for the hosts, Sharma was named Player of the World Cup for her 215 runs and 22 wickets.

Wolvaardt, meanwhile, finished as the tournament’s top run-scorer with 571 runs in nine innings at an average of 71.37. She also became just the second player to score a century in both a World Cup semi-final and final.

The Proteas will arrive back in South Africa on Tuesday afternoon.

OFM Sport/Morgan Piek cvs