India secured their first-ever ICC Women’s World Cup title with a commanding 52-run victory over South Africa at DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Sunday. The triumph, led by captain Harmanpreet Kaur, featured standout performances from Deepti Sharma, who scored a fifty and took five wickets, and Shafali Verma’s impressive 87 runs and two wickets, helping India overcome their previous finals disappointments of 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’s century of 101 runs, were restricted to 246 runs, with Deepti Sharma claiming 5/39 and Shafali Verma taking 2/36. The victory came after India’s remarkable win against seven-time champions Australia in the previous match, where they successfully chased a record-breaking target of 339 runs, featuring a century by Jeminah Rodrigues and a special performance by Harmanpreet Kaur. Olympic gold medalist Neeraj Chopra wrote on
Neeraj Chopra post
Former Indian cricketer Ashwin posted: “Congratulations @BCCIWomen, that was one hell of a campaign. Well done to the girls and the entire support staff led by @amolmuzumdar11.” Irfan Pathan shared on Shikhar Dhawan wrote: “Incredible 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!”
Shikhar Dhawan post
Former South Africa captain AB de Villiers commented: “Congratulations Team India. Hold your heads high, @ProteasWomenCSA. The global women’s game is booming… what a final, what a tournament!”
AB de Villiers post
Harbhajan Singh posted: “We r the champions well done Team India. We are so proud of you. Bharat was and always will be great. 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 victory. @ImHarmanpreet Kaur and her team have given the entire generation the dream of winning, ladne ka, chamakne ka!”
Virender Sehwag post
Ajinkya Rahane shared: “Your spirit, grit, and belief brought the World Cup home. Many congratulations to Team India!” Former Australian wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist posted: “Congratulations, Team India, for winning the maiden World Cup. What a brilliant performance by the team.” 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 captain Harmanpreet Kaur (20 runs) and Deepti Sharma helped India cross 200 runs. The final push came from Deepti Sharma and Richa Ghosh (34 runs), helping India reach 298/7 in their allotted 50 overs. South Africa’s Ayabonga Khaka was the leading wicket-taker with 3/58.
