Women’s World Cup 2025 Final: 5 Talking Points from India’s Historic Title Win over South Africa

India clinched their maiden Women's World Cup title with a win over South Africa, powered by Shafali Verma’s record fifty, Richa Ghosh’s quickfire cameo, Deepti Sharma’s all-round brilliance, and Amanjot Kaur’s crucial catch of Laura Wolvaardt.

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47 Years Later, India Clinch Maiden Women's World Cup Title

Team India’s long-awaited dream of lifting the coveted Women’s World Cup Trophy finally came true after defeating South Africa in the high-stakes final at the Dr DY Patil Sports Academy Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Sunday, November 2.

After posting a total of 298/7 on the board, the Women in Blue bundled out the Proteas for 246 in 45.3 overs, despite Laura Wolvdaart's brilliant century knock that kept South Africa in the hunt for a while. India's bowling attack displayed discipline and grit, complemented by sharp fielding efforts that derailed South Africa’s chase, ultimately guiding India to a historic victory and their first-ever Women’s ODI World Cup crown.

As Team India finally ended their 47-year drought of winning the maiden triumph, let’s take a look at key takeaways from the Women in Blue’s final against South Africa.

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1. Shafali Verma’s Record-Breaking Fifty

Team India opener Shafali Verma grabbed the spotlight with a record-breaking fifty in her maiden Women’s World Cup final. The 21-year-old, who came in as a replacement for injured Pratika Rawal, played a career-defining knock of 87 off 78 balls, guiding India to a formidable total of 298/7. She delivered her best performance on the grandest stage of her career, given that she made a comeback to the ODI squad as a ‘blessing in disguise’ after over a year.

With her half-century, Shafali Verma shattered records of including the youngest to score fifty and the highest individual score by an Indian batter in the Women’s World Cup Final. Additionally, Shafali’s 104-run opening partnership with Smriti Mandhana took their tally to 1000 runs in partnership between them, becoming the 11th Indian pair to do so in the history of Women’s ODI cricket.

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2. Richa Ghosh’s Quickfire Innings

The wicketkeeper-batter Richa Ghosh unleashed her firepower at a crucial juncture of India’s innings as she played a quickfire innings of 34 off 24 balls, including 3 fours and 2 sixes, at an economy rate of 141.67. Richa walked in to bat after Amanjot Kaur’s dismissal at 245/5 and joined Deepti Sharma at the crease. She accelerated the scoring with fearless stroke play, ensuring they maintained their momentum in the death overs and pushed the total close to the 300-run mark.

In her 47-run stand with Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh scored the bulk of the runs, displaying her aggressive intent and smart shot selection that kept India’s scoreboard ticking and put the Proteas under constant pressure. Ghosh has been a reliable lower-order batter for India throughout the tournament, with her best performance coming against South Africa, scoring 94 off 77 balls.

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3. Deepti Sharma’s All-Round Brilliance

Deepti Sharma once again proved why she is the best all-rounder for India. The 28-year-old made vital contributions with the bat and ball in the Women in Blue’s historic triumph. With the ball, Deepti played a crucial innings of 58 off 58 balls, including 3 fours and a six, to guide Team India to a solid total on the board. She shared a 47-run stand for the sixth wicket with Richa Ghosh, stabilizing the innings after a mini-collapse.

With the ball, Deepti Sharma led the bowling attack brilliantly with a spell of 5/39 at an economy rate of 4.10 in 9.3 overs. She picked the wickets of Laura Wolvdaart, Marizanne Kapp, Sinola Jafta, Chloe Tyron, and Nadine de Klerk, breaking South Africa’s backbone and turning the game in India’s favour. Deepti Sharma was awarded Player of the Tournament for her all-round brilliance as she amassed 215 runs and picked 22 wickets in the recently concluded Women’s World Cup.

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4. Amanjot Kaur’s Crucial Catch of Laura Wolvaardt

Amanjot Kaur did not have an ideal outing with the bat and ball as she scored 12 off 14 balls and conceded 34 runs in four overs. However, the Punjab all-rounder was one of the heroes behind India’s historic triumph in the Women’s World Cup 2025. Amanjot Kaur will be remembered for the game-changing catch of the South Africa skipper, Laura Wolvaardt, that shifted the momentum firmly in India’s favour.

In the 42nd over of South Africa’s run chase, Wolvdaart lofted one high to deep mid-wicket off Deepti Sharma's delivery, and Amanjot held a spectacular juggling catch to dismiss her. The wicket and catch by Amanjot brought a huge sigh of relief not only to Team India but also to the supporters at the packed DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.

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5. India Etch in History with Maiden Triumph

With a historic maiden Women’s World Cup title, India became the fourth team after Australia, England, and New Zealand to win the coveted trophy in the 52-year history of the tournament. The Women in Blue were not part of the first edition of the tournament in 1973, and after decades of misses in 2005 and 2017, they finally etched their name in history by lifting the maiden title on home soil.

Additionally, Harmanpreet Kaur became the third Indian captain after Kapil Dev and MS Dhoni to lift a World Cup trophy for India, and the first-ever woman to do so. Overall, Harmanpreet is the 11th captain in women’s cricket history to lift an ICC World Cup trophy, joining an elite list of ranks, including legends like Belinda Clarke, Charlotte Edwards, Meg Lanning, and Sharon Tredrea.