Shafali Verma’s brilliant 87, followed by Deepti Sharma’s run-a-ball 58, and 5-39 helped India Women to their first World Cup title in history.
The Women in Blue had reached the Final of this competition in 2005 and 2017, where they lost an absolute thriller to England at Lord’s by 9 runs.
Embed from Getty ImagesHowever, Harmanpreet Kaur’s side were as keen as ever not to let that happen, especially in their own backyard.
The batters made full use of their opportunity to bat, posting a daunting score of 298-7.
Verma showcased her talent and temperament in the early part of the innings.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe fantastic thing about that knock was the fact that it was just her second match of the tournament, after replacing Pratika Rawal, who injured her knee and ankle in the last League stage game against Bangladesh.
Sharma’s knock also made sure that India did not lose three back-to-back wickets, after being 171-3 at the fall of Jemimah Rodrigues.
Embed from Getty ImagesRicha Gosh also showcased her power-hitting specialities with a blistering 34 of 24 to take the hosts to a highly competitive score of 298-7.
Embed from Getty Images298 looked like a perfect score, especially in the final, but don’t count the South African’s out just yet.
Embed from Getty ImagesCaptain Laura Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits got Proteas off to a promising start in the chase, with 51 runs in 9.2 overs.
Embed from Getty ImagesBut Amanjot Kaur’s brilliant piece of fielding lifted the mood in the stadium, as she ran out Brits for 23, at 51-1.
Embed from Getty ImagesSree Charani provided India with their second wicket, dismissing Anneke Bosch for a duck, at 62-2.
Embed from Getty ImagesWolvaardt began to amp up the pressure on India.
Embed from Getty ImagesAs she reached 40, she became the highest run-scorer of the tournament, surpassing Australia’s Alyssa Healy, who scored 509 runs.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe South African Captain brought up her 39 ODI fifty in 45 balls.
Embed from Getty ImagesIt seemed as if she was the only one who was capable of taking the Proteas home, as the Indians had no idea of where to bowl at her.
Embed from Getty ImagesSuné Luus joined in at the other end.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe duo brought up their 50 partnership in 49 balls.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Indians desperately needed a breakthrough. Enter Verma, who dismissed Luus by catching he off her own bowling, at 114-3.
Embed from Getty ImagesVerma soon had her second, as Marrizanne Kapp got an inside edge while attempting to glance the ball down to the fine leg boundary. Gosh, taking a brilliant catch to her left, at 123-4.
Embed from Getty ImagesSinalo Jafta began her innings quite confidently.
Embed from Getty ImagesHowever, Sharma claimed her as her first wicket of the match, as she was caught by Radha Yadav at mid-on for 16, at 148-5.
Embed from Getty ImagesAnnerie Dercksen provided some support for her Captain, with 35 off 37.
Embed from Getty ImagesBut Sharma soon outfoxed her with a superb yorker at 209-6.
Embed from Getty ImagesThen came the crucial wicket of Wolvaardt, as Amanjot made what looked like a simple catch into a terrific one, at 220-7. You could now sense that it was game over for South Africa.
Embed from Getty ImagesSharma claimed her fourth wicket of the final, by getting Chloe Tyron at 221-8.
Embed from Getty ImagesThen came the run out of Ayabonga Khaka, at 246-9.
Embed from Getty ImagesSharma finished things off with the wicket of Nadine de Klerk, and who better to take the winning catch than the Captain herself.
Embed from Getty ImagesIt was an outstanding performance from a team who were determined to bring success to the country in the women’s game.
Reaction
In the post-match presentation, an emotional Indian Captain was overcome with emotion after her team pulled off this magnificent win.
We were waiting badly for this moment, and today we got a chance to live it. I don’t know how to express it, but I’m so happy and so proud of this team
Kaur: ESPNCricinfo
For her fabulous 87 and two crucial wickets, Verma was named the Player Of The Match.
“I said at the start that God has sent me here to do something nice, and that reflected today. I’m very happy that we won, and I cannot express it in words. It was difficult, but I had confidence in myself – that if I could stay calm, I could achieve everything.
My parents, my friends, my brother – everyone supported me and helped me understand how to play. It was very important for my team and for myself, and I just wanted to make my team win.”
“My mind was clear and I worked on my plans. I’m so happy that I could execute them, and Smriti di and Harman di – everyone was supporting me. The seniors asked me just to play my own game, and when you get that clarity, that’s all you need.
It’s a very memorable moment. When I saw him – Sachin Tendulkar – it gave me an incredible boost. I keep talking to him; he keeps giving me confidence. He’s the master of cricket, and we keep getting inspired just by looking at him.”
Verma: Cricinfo
Meanwhile, for her all-around performance, Sharma was named player of the tournament.
“Honestly, this feels like a dream, because we’ve not been able to come out of that emotion. I’m feeling really happy that I could contribute in this way in a World Cup final.
We’ve always focused on how we can take something away from every match and learn from it. Thanks to everyone – this wouldn’t have been possible without them. As a team, we’re feeling very happy.”
(On her responsibilities, roles, and preparation)
“I always enjoy it, whatever department I’m in or whatever the situation is. I just wanted to play according to the situation.”“I enjoyed it a lot. As a stage to perform as an all-rounder, there couldn’t be a more amazing feeling.
Laura played a very good innings, but we were always calm and kept cheering each other up. As a bowling unit, we kept saying we’d take it to the last ball and focus on bowling our best ball – and that’s exactly what we did.”
(On what she wants to see changing)
“There has been a lot of change since 2017. I just hope there are even more matches for us now.I’d like to dedicate this Player of the Series trophy to my mum and dad.”
Sharma: Cricinfo
A gut-wrenched South African was so proud of her team’s performance and gave an exceptional contribution to Kapp, who was playing her last game for the Proteas.
“I couldn’t be prouder of this team for the campaign we’ve had. We played brilliant cricket throughout, but we were outplayed today by India.
It’s unfortunate to be on the losing side, but we’ll definitely grow from this.”
(On coming back from 69 all out and 97 all out against Australia)
“We did so well to put those couple of bad games behind us. We were either really good or really bad – but thankfully, more of the really good.”“It’s been an amazing tournament for a lot of the players, and I’m proud of the resilience we showed.”
(On balancing batting and captaincy)
“I probably didn’t have my best year leading into the World Cup, and I didn’t start it well either. I was overthinking – and that wasn’t helpful.In the end, it’s just another game of cricket. I tried to separate the two, and that sort of freed me up a bit – to play my natural game and then focus on the captaincy at a different time.”
“We were hoping for a little bit more swing. There was still something in it, so I still feel it was the right call to bowl.
We were in it for much of the chase but lost too many wickets. I kept checking that scoreboard – they were definitely tracking for 350. The bowling at the back end was amazing, and we’ve been brilliant throughout the tournament.”
“We genuinely felt we could chase it.”
(On Shafali)
“She batted excellently – that’s the way she plays. When it comes off, she can really hurt teams.”(On Kapp)
“She’s been phenomenal for so many editions. It’s really sad that this is going to be her last one. The whole group wanted to win it for her.She’s like two players in one, and we’re very lucky to have her on our team.”
Wolvaardt: ESPN Cricinfo
And so another women’s World Cup goes by, and it is India who takes the applause.
There is no doubt that this victory will inspire more women in the country to take up the sport and earn success like Kaur and her squad of 16.
As for South Africa, unfortunately, their wait for a World Cup goes on.
For more information on India, South Africa, and the Women’s World Cup, visit World In Sport.